Matthew Perry’s Drug Dealer Once Worked Closely With Beloved Marvel Star

Last week, after a months-long investigation, multiple people were arrested in connection to the death of Friends star Matthew Perry. Perry died at his Pacific Palisades home last October after being found unconscious in his hot tub by his longtime assistant. After a toxicology screen was performed, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that Mr. Perry had died from the “acute effects” of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties.

There were several other factors that contributed to Perry’s death, including coronary artery disease, drowning, and the use of Buprenorphine, a drug used to help treat opioid addiction.

Related: Actress Named in Connection to Matthew Perry’s Sudden Death

This past May, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration announced a joint investigation into Perry’s death. They wanted to find out who had supplied Perry with the ketamine that killed him. Now, Mr. Perry had been undergoing ketamine therapy under the supervision of a doctor. However, the amount of ketamine that was found in his system indicated that he was taking large amounts of the drug outside his therapy treatments.

Three months after the investigation was launched, five people were arrested — two doctors, the “Ketamine Queen” of North Hollywood, a middleman, and Perry’s very own assistant.

In the days since the arrests, we have learned a lot more about the people Mr. Perry trusted who took advantage of his addiction. One of the people arrested was Erik Fleming, who allegedly bought 50 vials of ketamine from the “Ketamine Queen” to sell to Mr. Perry. More than half of the vials were given to Perry’s assistant just days before the actor died.

Fleming was reportedly someone Perry considered a friend, but as more information comes out, it becomes apparent that Mr. Fleming didn’t care about Perry. He only cared about how much money he could make off of the actor’s addiction struggles.

Related: Report: Matthew Perry Wanted to Sell the Drug That Killed Him

Mr. Fleming worked in the entertainment industry for 16 years, beginning in 1989, and ten years into his career, he wound up working with future Disney and Marvel darling Scarlett Johansson.

Johansson starred as Kathy Caldwell in the film My Brother the Pig, alongside Eva Mendes, Judge Reinhold, Romy Walthall, and Alex D. Linz. Kathy was sick and tired of being pranked by her younger brother, Freud (Linz). When her parents (Reinhold and Walthall) go out of town, Kathy’s brother is turned into a pig, thanks to her mystical nanny, Matilda (Mendes).

Related: Actor Matthew Perry’s Bank Accounts Don’t Line Up With His Estimated Net Worth

Fleming was arrested earlier this month along with Dr. Mark Chavez, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, and Jasveen Sangha (AKA The Ketamine Queen).

Fleming has already pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced. Fleming was the middleman who purchased the ketamine from Ms. Sangha and then sold the ketamine to Mr. Iwasama.

Dr. Mark Chavez has also pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Since he is a medical professional, Chavez was able to legally get his hands on ketamine. He admitted that he forged documents in order to avoid his ketamine purchases looking suspicious. He also wrote out fake prescriptions and then diverted the ketamine to those who were willing to pay for it out of pocket.

Matthew Perry’s longtime live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, causing death. Iwamasa admitted that he would be the person to inject Perry with the ketamine, sometimes multiple times per day. Iwamasa faces decades in jail, more time than the people who gave Perry the drugs, since Iwamasa was the one to inject Perry.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia and the Ketamine Queen have not entered pleas. Plasencia could face up to 25 years in jail. Ms. Sangha, however, faces up to life in prison.

Do you think everyone involved in the death of Matthew Perry should go to jail? Let us know in the comments.