Matthew Perry’s assistant who injected Friends star with ketamine on day of his death is sentenced

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Kenneth Iwamasa, Matthew Perry’s former assistant, has been sentenced to over three years in prison for repeatedly giving the ‘Friends’ star ketamine on the day of his death.

In August 2024, Iwamasa, age 60, was the first of five individuals connected to the actor’s death to make an agreement with prosecutors.

Besides serving 41 months in prison, Iwamasa was also fined a total of $10,100 and placed on two years of supervised release.

He must surrender to authorities by 12 pm on July 17 to begin his sentence.

It was such a shock to lose Matthew Perry last October. He was only 54. Sadly, he passed away at his Los Angeles home after an accidental drowning, and it was later determined that ketamine played a role. It’s a heartbreaking reminder of how important it is to address addiction and prioritize mental health.

During his sentencing, Iwamasa asked for a lighter punishment, explaining he felt pressured by the actor and couldn’t have refused his requests.

Iwamasa admitted guilt to a charge related to distributing ketamine that led to a death, and in return, agreed to testify against other people involved in the case.

Perry employed Iwamasa as a live-in personal assistant, paying him $150,000 annually. Tragically, Iwamasa administered the ketamine that led to Perry’s death on October 28, 2023.

He left the actor to run errands, and when he returned, found Perry dead in the jacuzzi.  

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Iwamasa challenged the prosecution’s argument that he could have simply refused Perry’s request for ketamine.

He was also accused of destroying evidence of the late actor’s drug use in the wake of his death.

Federal prosecutors allege that Iwamasa tried to hide evidence of Perry’s drug use shortly after the actor died at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, according to documents obtained by TMZ.

Iwamasa admitted to conspiring to distribute ketamine that resulted in a death. According to the Department of Justice, he repeatedly injected the actor with a fatal dose of the drug, despite having no medical training.

Following the death of Matthew Perry, known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC show Friends, a professional organizer began deleting both physical and digital records related to Perry’s ketamine use, according to federal investigators in a recent court document.

According to prosecutors, Iwamasa asked someone to destroy evidence linking a group of people to supplying drugs for the actor’s personal use.

Prosecutors stated in court documents that Iwamasa, who is from Toluca Lake, California, lied several times after the investigation into the actor’s death began.

Prosecutors say Iwamasa attempted to hide the fact that he gave Perry multiple doses of ketamine shortly before Perry died.

Prosecutors stated in court documents that the assistant incorrectly accused Perry of concealing the ketamine bottles at the house.

Prosecutors say Iwamasa instructed someone known as ‘B.M.’ to quickly collect and discard evidence of the actor’s drug use, such as ketamine vials and syringes.

According to court documents, Iwamasa admitted to telling a colleague that they also needed to destroy a ketamine prescription and a note connecting Dr. Salvador Plasencia to Perry’s drug connections.

Prosecutors said he told Erik Fleming, a colleague, that he tidied up the actor’s house after his death.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen cases where people go to extreme lengths to protect an image, and this one is shocking. Apparently, Iwamasa confessed to not only getting rid of any physical proof, but also to changing Perry’s online passwords and wiping all the data from her computers. He was clearly trying to hide evidence related to her ketamine use, which is a really serious situation.

In documents submitted to Judge Sherilyn Garnett on May 20th, Perry’s sisters, Caitlin and Madeline Morrison, voiced their criticism of Iwamasa, according to a review by People magazine.

Madeline Morrison struggled to describe how hurt she felt when she learned what Kenny had done. She explained that it felt as painful as losing her brother all over again.

‘Everything I believed about the day he died – everything Kenny told us – was a lie.’

She was shocked that someone my brother trusted so deeply could hurt him so badly – it was something she never would have expected.

Madeline said that Iwamasa’s behavior was suspicious in the wake of her brother’s passing.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve learned that grief manifests in so many ways, and I experienced that firsthand after my brother, Matthew, passed away. One of the hardest things I ever did was choosing his burial clothes with my sister – it truly felt like a dream, a heartbreakingly surreal experience. I specifically remember my husband, Kenny, seeming incredibly restless and on edge during that time. It was clear he was struggling to process the loss in his own way.

He kept offering his account of what happened, even when no one asked, acting more like he was giving a statement to the police than grieving the loss of a friend.

She revealed that he was actually trying to divert their attention from what he’d done: he’d given her brother a fatal amount of ketamine and left him to die in a hot tub.

Perry’s sentence was handed down two weeks after his drug counselor, Erik Fleming, received a two-year sentence of his own.

A visibly upset Fleming described the situation as a terrible nightmare, saying he felt haunted by his past errors and couldn’t seem to move forward.

The judge instructed Fleming, who has been out on bail for roughly two years, to begin his prison sentence in 45 days. In addition to his time in prison, he will also be on probation for three years.

This news followed a sentencing last month where Jasveen Sangha, the drug dealer known as ‘Ketamine Queen’ who supplied Perry, received a 15-year prison sentence, plus three years of supervised release.

Sangha admitted guilt to five federal crimes connected to Perry’s death and has been held in federal custody since being arrested in August 2024.

Fleming connected Perry to Sangha and ultimately gave her up to investigators.

In a court document, prosecutors stated that Sangha demonstrated a cruel indifference to human life. They argued she prioritized financial gain over the well-being of others, and her choices have caused significant suffering to the victims’ families.

Sangha’s lawyers admitted she was involved in serious crimes and asked the judge to consider that she’s already spent time in jail when deciding her sentence.

The lawyers emphasized that she fully acknowledges the seriousness of the alleged actions and their potential repercussions.

Prosecutors say Sangha worked with Erik Fleming to provide ketamine to Perry.

It was a really tough month when we lost Matthew Perry. What I’ve learned is that around that time, Sangha and Fleming apparently sold him 51 vials of ketamine, and then handed them off to his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. It’s just heartbreaking to hear these details coming out.

Matthew Perry privately struggled with addiction for a long time, and his battle became more difficult while he was achieving fame as Chandler Bing on the show Friends.

Looking back at the incredible success of Friends – being part of that cast with Jennifer, Courteney, Lisa, Matt, and David – it’s easy to focus on the show’s amazing run from 1994 to 2004. But what often gets lost is that, behind the laughter, there were some really difficult personal battles happening for me at the time.

Perry was honest about how his struggles with addiction often affected his job during that time.

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2026-05-27 22:35