Drug counselor who delivered ketamine to Matthew Perry gets 2 years
AP News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Erik Fleming, a licensed drug addiction counselor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry, was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of probation for his role in the actor's 2023 death.
- Fleming cooperated with authorities by providing information that led to the arrest and 15-year sentence of Jasveen Sangha, known as "The Ketamine Queen," but prosecutors argued his cooperation was motivated by self-preservation.
- Fleming admitted to distributing ketamine resulting in death, having sold the drug to Perry's personal assistant shortly before the actor's fatal overdose, which was ruled due to acute ketamine effects and drowning.
- Defense attorneys highlighted Fleming's lack of criminal record, brief involvement in drug dealing, and his efforts toward rehabilitation, including 20 months of sobriety and helping establish a sober living home.
- Matthew Perry, famed for his role as Chandler Bing on "Friends," died at 54, with his death linked to off-label ketamine use for depression and involvement with illegal drug suppliers.