Kenneth Iwamasa Sentenced to Three Years and Five Months for Injecting Ketamine Into Matthew Perry

Kenneth Iwamasa, Matthew Perry’s personal assistant, was sentenced by Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in federal court in Los Angeles to three years and five months in prison for injecting ketamine into the actor in the days leading up to his overdose in 2023.

Ouest-France said Iwamasa, 61, was accused of having administered more than 25 ketamine injections to Perry in the days preceding his death in October 2023, including at least three on the day of the incident.

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El Universal reported that the death occurred on October 28, 2023, when Perry was 54, and that Iwamasa received two years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine in addition to the prison term.

El Universal also said Iwamasa was the last person to see Perry alive and found his body lifeless inside the jacuzzi at his Los Angeles residence.

In court, Iwamasa’s lawyers argued that he acted under a relationship of employment dependence with Perry and that there was a vulnerability in the bond they shared, while El Universal quoted them saying, "In short, he could not simply say no. That incapacity had tragic consequences,".

El Universal reported that Perry’s family made clear they considered Iwamasa one of the main people responsible for the actor’s death, and it quoted Suzanne Morrison’s letter to the judge.

Morrison wrote, "Matthew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kenny's most important job, by far, was to be my son's companion and guardian in his fight against addiction. We trusted a man without conscience and my son paid the price."

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The Times of India said Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett noted during sentencing that Iwamasa was aware of Perry’s addiction and that he concealed evidence after the actor’s death.

During the hearing, The Times of India quoted Iwamasa addressing Perry’s family directly, saying, "I will take it to my grave,".

The Times of India also reported that Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and that he would serve two years of supervised release and pay a $10,000 fine.

The case against Iwamasa sits within a broader chain of convictions tied to ketamine supply, with El Universal describing how he obtained ketamine outside legal channels through doctor Salvador Plasencia, who taught him to administer it via injections.

El Universal said Plasencia was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, and it added that Iwamasa also obtained the drug through Erik Fleming, while Fleming received a two-year prison sentence and Jasveen Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ouest-France reported that the investigation revealed Erik Fleming obtained the drug from Jasveen Sangha, described as the “queen of ketamine,” and that two doctors were also convicted of knowingly exploiting the actor's addiction.

Ouest-France said Perry was found unconscious in his jacuzzi in October 2023 and that he had been taking ketamine under supervision as part of depression-therapy sessions, but that the legal anesthetic was sometimes diverted for stimulant or euphoric purposes.

Madame Figaro added that on April 8, Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed 'the Ketamine Queen,' was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Los Angeles, and it said prosecutors stated she supplied the drug to Erik Fleming, who then passed it to Kenneth Iwamasa.