Matthew Perry’s Assistant Sentenced to Over Three Years for Ketamine Role

Kenneth Iwamasa, Matthew Perry’s former live-in assistant, was sentenced Wednesday to three years and five months in federal prison for administering ketamine injections that contributed to the actor’s death in 2023. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and must surrender to authorities by noon on July 17.

Iwamasa, 59, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Prosecutors said he purchased the drugs and repeatedly injected Perry, including the three doses that caused the actor’s fatal overdose on October 28, 2023. Perry was found facedown in the water of the backyard hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home. The autopsy ruled his death accidental, citing “acute effects of ketamine” with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects.

During the sentencing hearing, Perry’s stepfather, NBC “Dateline” correspondent Keith Morrison, criticized Iwamasa for betraying the family’s trust. Morrison said Iwamasa was aware of Perry’s struggles with addiction and had been explicitly instructed to alert the family if Perry relapsed, but failed to do so. “You could have called someone … you didn’t do that, did you?” Morrison asked, accusing Iwamasa of prioritizing his own lifestyle over Perry’s wellbeing.

Lisa Ferguson, Perry’s longtime business manager, described Iwamasa as having taken control of Perry’s life soon after being hired in 2022. She called him “the monster that killed him.” Perry’s half-sister, Madeline Morrison, expressed disappointment that Iwamasa’s sentence was lighter than that of Jasveen Sangha, the so-called “Ketamine Queen” who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for supplying the drugs. Madeline Morrison wrote in a victim impact statement that Iwamasa’s actions were more culpable because he injected Perry and left him to die.

Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, said Iwamasa enabled her son’s addiction instead of protecting him. “His number one responsibility was to ensure that Matthew remained what he wanted to be: drug‑free,” she wrote. “But instead of protecting Matthew, he aided and abetted illegal drug use, arranged for one source of supply and then another.” She added that Iwamasa was unqualified to administer the drugs and did so repeatedly despite the obvious danger.

Iwamasa apologized to the family during the hearing, expressing remorse for his illegal actions and their consequences.

Iwamasa is the fifth and final person sentenced in connection with Perry’s death. Others include Sangha, who received 15 years; Erik Fleming, who was sentenced to two years in prison; Dr. Salvador Plasencia, sentenced to 30 months; and Dr. Mark Chavez, who was sentenced to eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release with community service requirements.

Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the television series “Friends,” had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression before developing a dependence on the drug. Prosecutors said Iwamasa conspired with Sangha and others to illegally distribute ketamine to Perry, contributing to the actor’s accidental overdose.