LOS ANGELES — In a sentencing that prosecutors described as “deeply tragic” and Los Angeles residents described as “honestly pretty standard for this zip code,” licensed addiction counselor Erik Fleming was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting he sold ketamine to actor Matthew Perry, including the fatal dose.
Authorities confirmed Fleming sold Perry 51 vials of ketamine while simultaneously holding credentials intended to help people avoid exactly this kind of outcome, making him the first addiction counselor to apparently interpret “harm reduction” as “bulk pricing.”
“This case raises serious ethical concerns,” said one official, pausing briefly as three separate celebrity biohacking clinics advertised “spiritual horse tranquilizer journeys” on billboards outside the courthouse.
Investigators say Fleming operated as a middleman in a chain of suppliers, proving once again that in Los Angeles even illicit drug distribution requires networking, referrals, and at least one guy who “knows a wellness doctor in Malibu.”
Legal experts noted the case has become difficult for jurors to emotionally process because ketamine now exists in a confusing cultural space somewhere between “controlled substance” and “podcast sponsor.”
At press time, Hollywood executives were reportedly greenlighting a six-part streaming drama titled Friends With Benefits Of Doubt.