Kenneth Iwamasa, Matthew Perry’s live-in personal assistant, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Wednesday following Perry’s fatal ketamine overdose in October 2023. Iwamasa was charged for his role in obtaining and repeatedly injecting Perry with the drug, including the administration that resulted in his death, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Iwamasa, who had known the “Friends” actor since 1992 and became his assistant in 2022, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and serious bodily injury. He is the fifth and final defendant to be sentenced in connection with Perry’s death.
Per the release, Iwamasa was both aware of Perry’s history with drug addiction and was not a trained medical professional who could administer the drug. In their sentencing position, prosecutors wrote that “rather than help Mr. Perry maintain sobriety, [Iwamasa] became his enabler and drug supplier.”
From September 2023 to Perry’s death, Iwamasa conspired with physician Salvador Plasencia and drug counselor Erik Fleming, among others, to “knowingly and intentionally distribute ketamine to Perry.”
While the ketamine provided by Plasencia did not cause Perry’s death, he distributed 20 vials, multiple tablets and syringes of the drug to Iwamasa and the actor, which totalled $57,000. Plasencia also taught Iwamasa how to inject the drug for Perry. (The physician surrendered his medical license in September 2025.)
Despite Iwamasa witnessing Plasencia inject Perry with a dose of the drug that caused the actor to “freeze up” and for the physician to state, “Let’s not do that again,” the assistant arranged for a supply of ketamine from Fleming, according to court documents. Fleming obtained his ketamine from Jasveen Sangha, aka the “Ketamine Queen,” and on Oct. 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with “at least three shots of Sangha’s ketamine,” which caused the actor’s death.
On the day of Perry’s death, Iwamasa called 911 to the residence, and when questions by police officers, intentionally omitted ketamine from the list of medications and drugs Perry was prescribed and concealed that he had administered ketamine injections to Perry. He also “took steps to remove and destroy evidence related to Perry’s use of ketamine in the days leading up to the actor’s death,” contacting Fleming via phone to tell him he had “deleted everything,” according to court documents.
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Sangha, Plasencia and Fleming are serving federal prison sentences, respectively, of 15 years, two and a half years and two years after pleading guilty to federal narcotics charges.
As an assistant, Iwamasa’s responsibilities included coordinating the actor’s medical care and ensuring that Perry took his lawfully prescribed. He was paid $150,000 per year.
Iwamasa was sentenced by United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, and was also fined $10,000.
From Variety US