Matthew Perry’s personal assistant sentenced to 3 years in prison

Kenneth Iwamasa, who lived with the actor and worked for him on a daily basis, pleaded guilty.

Nearly three years after the death of Matthew Perry, American justice has rendered its verdict against his personal assistant, involved in the supply of ketamine to the star of Friends.

Kenneth Iwamasa, who lived with the actor and worked for him on a daily basis, was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in federal prison, or more than three years behind bars. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiring to distribute ketamine resulting in death and serious injury.

Assistant to Matthew Perry since 2022 – although they had known each other since the 1990s – Kenneth Iwamasa is the fifth and final accused convicted in this case.

According to the US Department of Justice, the man was fully aware of the actor’s serious history of addiction, while having no medical training allowing him to administer the substance. Prosecutors even believed that, “instead of helping Matthew Perry stay sober, he became his enabler and drug supplier.”

Between September 2023 and the actor’s death, Kenneth Iwamasa allegedly collaborated with several people, including doctor Salvador Plasencia and dealer Erik Fleming, to obtain and regularly inject ketamine into Matthew Perry.

The doctor allegedly provided around twenty vials, tablets and syringes for a total amount of $57,000. He also reportedly taught the assistant how to inject the actor with the substance himself.

According to court documents, Kenneth Iwamasa had already witnessed a particularly dangerous injection which caused a violent physical reaction in Matthew Perry, to the point that the doctor declared: “We will never do that again.” But the assistant then allegedly continued to organize the supply of ketamine via Erik Fleming, himself linked to Jasveen Sangha, nicknamed the “Ketamine Queen”. On October 28, 2023, the day of the actor’s death, Kenneth Iwamasa allegedly injected Matthew Perry with “at least three doses” of this ketamine.

Authorities also claim that after calling for help, the assistant intentionally hid from police the injections administered to the actor and deleted several evidence related to drug use in the days before his death.

As his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa was responsible for coordinating Matthew Perry’s medical care and ensuring that he followed his prescribed treatments correctly. He received an annual salary of $150,000.