Two and a half years after the death of actor Matthew Perry, a former Hollywood producer involved in the distribution of the drug that killed the star of “Friends” was sentenced on Wednesday to two years in prison by a court in Los Angeles, reports AFP, taken by Agerpres.
Erik Fleming pleaded guilty to acting as a middleman, buying 50 vials of ketamine from a dealer and delivering them to the star's personal assistant, who injected him with the drug. The prosecutors requested a sentence of two and a half years in prison.
The death of Matthew Perry, found unconscious in his hot tub in October 2023, shocked “Friends” fans and prompted an outpouring of tributes in Hollywood. The 54-year-old actor, who played Chandler Bing in the hit series, had spoken publicly about his addiction problems.
“Delete all our messages”
He was taking ketamine under supervision as part of therapy for depression. But this legal anesthetic is sometimes abused for stimulant or euphoric purposes, and Matthew Perry relapsed into addiction in the fall of 2023, according to the investigation.
Erik Fleming, 55, was an acquaintance of Matthew Perry, who had some success in Hollywood in the early 2000s. He notably produced the reality show “The Surreal Life” and directed the movie “My Brother the Pig,” starring Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes.
The investigation revealed that he obtained the drugs from Jasveen Sangha, a trafficker known in some circles as the “queen of ketamine”. This woman sold the vials that proved fatal to Matthew Perry and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in April.
“Delete all our messages,” she ordered the intermediary in a text message when she learned of the star's death.
Ketamine sold at a premium
Two doctors were also convicted of knowingly exploiting the actor's addiction. Salvador Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in prison in December for selling the star about 20 vials of ketamine in the weeks leading up to her death. He was getting his supplies from Mark Chavez, another doctor sentenced to eight months of house arrest and 300 hours of community service.
The ketamine vials cost only a few dollars, but were resold to Matthew Perry for $2,000 each, according to the indictment. “I wonder how much this idiot is going to pay,” Plasencia wrote to Chavez in a text message uncovered by the investigation.
Both doctors were denied the right to practice freely.
Like all the other suspects in this case, Matthew Perry's personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, also pleaded guilty and admitted to injecting the actor with ketamine. His sentence is to be pronounced on May 27.
