Kenneth Iwamasa, the former live-in personal assistant to Matthew Perry, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Wednesday for his role in the ketamine distribution scheme that prosecutors say led to the actor's death.
U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett imposed the 41-month term, ordered two years of supervised release and levied a $10,000 fine. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of three years and five months; Iwamasa faced a statutory maximum of 15 years after pleading guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
The judge cited Iwamasa's knowledge of Perry's struggle with addiction and what she described as concealment of evidence after Perry's death when handing down the sentence. Iwamasa is slated to report to prison on 17 July.
Prosecutors told the court that Iwamasa, who had no medical training, injected Perry with ketamine and worked with two doctors to provide the actor with more than $50,000 worth of the drug in the weeks before Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles backyard hot tub in October 2023. Iwamasa was the first of five defendants to reach a plea deal in the broader case and the last to be sentenced.
Perry's family used handwritten letters to press the judge for a stern sentence. Caitlin Morrison wrote, "I have no sympathy for Kenny Iwamasa," and accused him of either fleeing responsibility or "willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation." Madeline Morrison told the judge she believed Iwamasa was "more culpable" than another defendant. Suzanne Morrison wrote that Iwamasa's "most important job" was to be her son's companion and guardian in his fight against addiction, and that instead he "aided and abetted illegal drug taking and arranged for one source of supply, then another," adding, "We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price."
Iwamasa addressed the court directly and repeatedly expressed remorse. He said, "I'm so sorry to all of you. I'm just so sorry to have done illegal acts that I will forever regret. I will take it to my grave," and added, "I hope I'll be a cautionary tale to someone who's in my position to make better choices." He told the family he was "horribly, horribly sorry" and offered his condolences.
The sentence extends the legal consequences stemming from Perry's death into federal prison terms and supervised release, concluding the sentencing phase for the five defendants who pleaded guilty in the case. Prosecutors emphasized the role they say Iwamasa played in supplying ketamine and in handling matters after Perry's death; they sought a term slightly longer than the one imposed.
The central unresolved fact from Wednesday's hearing is what specific evidence Iwamasa is alleged to have concealed after Perry's death. Prosecutors and members of Perry's family portrayed concealment as part of their case against him; court filings and the judge's remarks pointed to that behavior but did not settle publicly what materials or actions are at issue.
Iwamasa will report to prison on 17 July to begin serving the 41-month term. The sentence brings to a close the last federal sentencing tied to Perry's death, but leaves open questions about the full chain of supply and the precise nature of the evidence prosecutors say was hidden — questions that could affect other unresolved threads from the investigation.
