Kenneth Iwamasa has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the ketamine overdose death of Matthew Perry.
The sentencing took place in federal court in Los Angeles, where U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the punishment requested by prosecutors. Members of both Perry’s and Iwamasa’s families were reportedly present during the hearing.
Perry, best known for his role on Friends, was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home on October 28, 2023, and was pronounced dead at the scene at the age of 54.
According to the autopsy report, Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine also contributing to his death.
Iwamasa, who had been Perry’s assistant and close friend for 25 years, pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. He admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine multiple times, including three injections on the day of the actor’s death, despite having no medical training.
Ahead of the sentencing, Perry’s family submitted emotional victim impact statements describing their feelings of betrayal. His half-sister Madeline Morrison wrote that she was shocked someone Perry considered family could harm him in such a devastating way. She also claimed Iwamasa appeared nervous and overly eager to explain events after Perry’s death, which she now believes was an attempt to hide the truth.
Investigators later determined that the ketamine administered to Perry had been supplied illegally through a drug network connected to Jasveen Sangha, sometimes referred to as the “Ketamine Queen.” Sangha pleaded guilty to multiple drug-related charges and was sentenced earlier this year to 15 years in prison.
Authorities said Sangha and several others, including doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, along with acquaintance Erik Fleming, were involved in distributing ketamine to Perry in the weeks before his death.
The case followed a large investigation involving the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
