Highlights
- Kenneth Iwamasa sentenced to 41 months in prison over ketamine linked to Matthew Perry’s death
- Perry’s family accused the former assistant of enabling the actor’s addiction
- Multiple defendants in the wider ketamine supply case have already pleaded guilty
Kenneth Iwamasa sentenced over ketamine supply
Matthew Perry’s former live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for supplying ketamine linked to the actor’s fatal overdose in 2023. The sentence was handed down in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday, alongside two years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine.
Iwamasa, 60, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. Prosecutors said he worked with two doctors to obtain more than $50,000 worth of the drug for Perry in the weeks leading up to the actor’s death.
Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023. Medical authorities later ruled that he died from the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning listed as a contributing factor.
Court proceedings revealed that Iwamasa had no medical training but repeatedly injected Perry with ketamine, including multiple doses on the day the actor died. During sentencing, Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett said he was aware of Perry’s struggles with addiction and later concealed evidence after the death.
Perry’s family criticise former assistant in court
During the hearing, Iwamasa apologised directly to Perry’s family and admitted regret over his actions. “I’m so sorry to all of you,” he said in court. “I’m just so sorry to have done illegal acts that I will forever regret. I will take it to my grave.”
He also described himself as “horribly, horribly sorry” and said he hoped his case would become a warning to others in similar situations.
Ahead of the sentencing, members of Perry’s family submitted victim impact statements criticising Iwamasa’s conduct. Perry’s sister Caitlin Morrison said she had “no sympathy” for him and accused him of abandoning the actor during a vulnerable period. Another sister, Madeline Morrison, said she believed he was “more culpable” than several others charged in the investigation.
Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, wrote that Iwamasa had been trusted to support her son through addiction recovery but instead enabled his drug use. “We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price,” she stated.
Wider ketamine network case leads to multiple convictions
The case against Iwamasa forms part of a broader investigation into a network accused of supplying ketamine to Perry and profiting from his addiction. Prosecutors alleged that several individuals exploited the actor’s dependence on the drug in the months before his death.
Among those already sentenced is Jasveen Sangha, who received a 15-year prison sentence. Salvador Plasencia was sentenced to 30 months in prison, while Mark Chavez received home detention and supervised release. Another defendant, Erik Fleming, was sentenced earlier this month to two years in prison.
All five defendants connected to the investigation have pleaded guilty to related charges.
