Kenneth Iwamasa, the live-in personal assistant to the late Friends star Matthew Perry, has been sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison for his central role in the actor’s fatal ketamine overdose.
The 60-year-old was also handed two years of probation and a $10,000 fine by Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday.
The sentencing marks the fifth and final conclusion to a two-and-a-half-year investigation and prosecution following Perry’s death at the age of 54 on 28 October 2023.
Iwamasa, who had been in the actor’s employ since 2022 on an annual salary of $150,000, admitted to being Perry’s primary “enabler,” acting as a drug messenger and “de facto doctor”.
Reckless conduct
Presiding Judge Garnett characterised Iwamasa’s behaviour as “reckless,” noting that his actions in the days leading up to the tragedy were as culpable as those on the day of the actor’s death.
While the judge found no “hard evidence” of malicious intent and ruled that Iwamasa did not technically abuse a position of trust—a finding that spared him a longer term—she was firm in her assessment of his choices.
When defence lawyer Alan Eisner argued that Iwamasa was “unable” to act differently due to his desire to please a powerful employer he “worshipped,” Judge Garnett interjected. “Unwilling.
Not unable. He could have said no,” the judge remarked, rejecting the notion that the assistant was a helpless bystander to Perry’s addiction.
The fatal dose
According to the plea agreement, Iwamasa’s involvement intensified as Perry sought higher doses of ketamine than his legitimate doctors would prescribe for his depression.
Iwamasa eventually began sourcing off-the-books supplies from Dr Salvador Plasencia and drug counsellor Erik Fleming.
In the final period of Perry’s life, Iwamasa was injecting the actor between six and eight times per day. On 23 October 2023, the assistant administered a large dose to the actor before leaving the residence to run errands.
Upon his return, he found Perry unresponsive in his Jacuzzi. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later determined that ketamine was the primary cause of death, with drowning cited as a secondary factor.
Although Iwamasa initially misled the police by omitting details of the injections, he began cooperating after investigators executed a search warrant in January 2024.
A family’s betrayal
The actor’s family expressed a profound sense of betrayal regarding the man they once viewed as a protector.
In a letter to the court, Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, stated that the family had trusted Iwamasa to be her son’s “companion and guardian” during his struggle for sobriety.
“We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price,” she wrote.
A broader network
Iwamasa was the first to reach a deal with the prosecution, pleading guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.
His cooperation was vital in securing convictions against other members of the supply chain, including street dealer Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen,” who received 15 years, and Dr Plasencia, who was sentenced to two-and-a-half years.
Erik Fleming was previously sentenced to two years for his role in delivering the lethal batch.
Matthew Perry remains one of the most recognisable figures of his generation for his portrayal of Chandler Bing on the global hit sitcom Friends.
His death and the subsequent trial have highlighted the dangers of off-label drug use and the accountability of those in positions of domestic trust.
