
Audio By Carbonatix
A man involved in the overdose death of Friends star Matthew Perry has been sentenced to two years in prison, US media report.
Erik Fleming, one of five people charged after Perry's death, sourced the surgical anaesthetic ketamine from a Los Angeles woman dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" and supplied it to the actor. The drug counsellor, 56, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.
A federal judge also sentenced Fleming to three years of supervised release and a $200 penalty.
Perry was found dead in his backyard jacuzzi in Southern California in October 2023. His death was determined to have been caused by the acute effects of ketamine.
Prosecutors sought a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Fleming while his defence team asked for a lesser sentence of three months in prison and nine months in a residential drug treatment facility.
Fleming, according to the Associated Press, told Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in court on Wednesday: "It's truly a nightmare I can't wake up from. I'm haunted by the mistakes I made."
In a sentencing memo filed before his court appearance, Fleming's lawyers said that he has gone "to extreme lengths to atone for his criminal conduct".
"I made the biggest mistake of my life, and I am so deeply sorry for the hurt I have caused," Fleming wrote in a letter to the judge in April before his sentencing.
He also said that he was "overwhelmed with grief and shame" when he found out Perry had died - saying that procured ketamine for the actor because he wanted money and thought he was doing a favour for a friend.
He apologised for his "inexcusable behavior" and wrote that he takes full responsibility for his criminal acts.
"I hope my sentence provides some measure of justice and peace for everyone who loved Matt," Fleming wrote.
Fleming is one of five people - including medical doctors and the actor's assistant - who US officials say supplied ketamine to Perry and exploited his drug addiction for profit, which led to his overdose death.
The drug addiction counselloris the fourth to be sentenced in the years-long legal saga. Each has also pleaded guilty in the federal case.
Last month, Jasveen Sangha, 42, the dealer known as the "Ketamine Queen", was sentenced to 15 years in prison for selling drugs that led to the actor's death.
Dr Salvador Plasencia, who also supplied the actor with ketamine in the weeks before his death, was sentenced in December to 30 months in prison.
Dr Mark Chavez, a California doctor who sold the ketamine to Perry, was also sentenced in December to eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's personal live-in assistant who was accused of injecting the actor with ketamine, is scheduled to be sentenced on 27 May after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
Latest Stories
-
Manhyia South MP demands transparency on Damang Mine lease in RTI request
2 minutes -
Ara Ẹni releases ‘For My Matter’ as Ghana rallies behind Black Stars’ World Cup campaign
16 minutes -
GoldBod introduces new official gold pricing regime from July 1
17 minutes -
CHAG throws weight behind government’s Free Primary Healthcare initiative
18 minutes -
Evidence: Afari Military Hospital is not 98% complete
19 minutes -
GoldBod cracks down on delayed gold purchase bookings
27 minutes -
Coconut Farmers Association urges government to establish coconut seedling banks in the Volta Region
31 minutes -
I have been single for some time now – Akosua Agyapong
35 minutes -
24,000 medical equipment worth GH¢500 million for primary healthcare – Health Minister
36 minutes -
Amankwa-Manu backs new firearm licensing reforms but questions license withdrawal
42 minutes -
Dredging of Atonsu, Sisa Rivers in Kumasi underway amid flooding concerns
46 minutes -
Zambia ex-president’s family wins latest legal battle over what should happen to his body
46 minutes -
Zoomlion begins nationwide fumigation in Accra
50 minutes -
Sekondi-Takoradi Assembly fines man GH¢1,200 for dumping plastic waste into drain
54 minutes -
Interior Ministry to partner private sector to establish shooting ranges nationwide
58 minutes