The longtime live-in personal assistant of late “Friends” star Matthew Perry was sentenced to three years and five months behind bars on Wednesday, the fifth and final defendant to be sentenced in the case.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence in Los Angeles to Kenneth Iwamasa, 60, after he pled guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death. Iwamasa also received two years of probation and a $10,000 fine.
Perry hired Iwamasa, a longtime friend, in 2022 and was paying him six figures a year to act as his live-in assistant at his Los Angeles home. Iwamasa admitted to illegally obtaining and administering ketamine to the actor including several times on the day he died.
In statements submitted ahead of sentencing, Perry’s relatives described Iwamasa as the person they hold most responsible for the actor’s death, adding he was viewed as someone entrusted with protecting Perry during years of struggles with addiction but rather enabled his behavior.
“Mathew 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,” wrote Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, in a letter to the judge. “We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price.”
Earlier this month, former addiction counselor Erik Fleming, 56, was sentenced to two years in jail after pleading guilty last year to distributing ketamine that prosecutors say ultimately contributed to Perry’s fatal overdose in October 2023.
Fleming would receive his ketamine supply from Sangha and mark up the price, after learning Perry was searching for larger quantities of the drug than doctors were willing to provide.
In December, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, the California physician who pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine to Perry weeks before his death, received 2 1/2 years behind bars, along with two years of probation and a $5,600 fine.
According to the original indictment from the case, Plasencia taught Iwamasa how to administer the drug to Perry, often with improper safety measures or monitoring.
That same month, another physician involved in the case, Dr. Mark Chavez, 55, was sentenced to home confinement and three years of supervised release. He pleased guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine that resulted in Perry’s death, while also admitting to selling ketamine to Plasencia.
Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the popular sitcom “Friends,” was found dead at the age of 54 after struggling with addiction issues for years.
The actor was found unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his residence in the Pacific Palisades. A medical examiner later confirmed he died from the acute effects of ketamine, a surgical anesthetic that is also used as an off-label treatment for depression.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
