A pivotal chapter in the legal saga of beloved Friends star Matthew Perry’s death in his Pacific Palisades residence has come to an end, more than two and a half years after his passing. Perry’s personal assistant, who lives with him and played a key role in the actor’s ketamine addiction and administered the final lethal dose of the drug to him, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison on May 27, 2026. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence to 60-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa in federal court in Los Angeles. He also received a fine of $10,000 and two years probation. It was the fifth and last sentencing in a two-and-a-half-year long investigation and prosecution that followed Perry’s death at age 54 on October 28, 2023.
Iwamasa’s sentencing marks the end of the federal case against the illegal ketamine distribution network that played a part in Perry’s death. But it’s a tale of tragedy, exploitation and a chilling reminder of how even the most iconic, most beloved lives can be destroyed by addiction.
The Day Matthew Perry Died
As part of his plea agreement, Iwamasa had testified that he administered ketamine to Perry on October 28, 2023, on the actor’s command, before making his way out to run errands. He was a layman. When Iwamasa returned, he found Perry’s lifeless body floating in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles’s Pacific Palisades neighbourhood. Perry was 54 when he died.
The tragic drowning was soon joined by one of Hollywood’s most horrifying drug probes. It wasn’t long before authorities learned that Perry had not just relapsed anonymously, but he had been surrounded by doctors, drug dealers and other enablers who enabled his addiction with horrific consequences.
The 5 People Who Faced Justice
Five people have been convicted and sentenced by the federal investigation for supplying Perry with the ketamine he used.
In December 2025, Doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez were sentenced for their roles. Plasencia was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, Chavez was sentenced to 300 hours of community service and eight months home confinement. Plasencia had been dubbed “Dr. Ketamine” following the reports of him giving Perry the drug multiple times, including seeing “concerning physical reactions” that should have made him realize he had to cease his work with the young boy. He was convicted of four charges of distributing ketamine and his medical licence was revoked.
The “Ketamine Queen” of the industry, lead supplier Jasveen Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in April 2026. Sangha was the one whose plea agreement included an admission of actually causing Perry’s death. She had earlier pleaded guilty to five federal criminal charges that included providing the ketamine which caused the overdose of the Friends star. She also was charged with assisting with selling 51 vials of Ketamine to Iwamasa that he injected, resulting in his death October 28, 2023 after he was shot. Authorities who raided Sangha’s North Hollywood residence recovered a dozen or more bottles of ketamine, fake Xanax pills, MDMA tablets and a gold money-counting machine, all of which were indicative of a sophisticated drug scheme.
In May 2026, middleman Erik Fleming was sentenced to two years in prison. Fleming had been the conduit from the dealer network to the people who were most close to Perry, leading him to the life-ending ketamine.
Kenneth Iwamasa: The Last Sentence
The case of Iwamasa attracted the greatest attention from the five defendants, mainly due to his close association. He was not a dealer, not a stranger. Iwamasa had been acquainted with Perry since roughly 1992 and subsequently started living with him in 2022, where she is paid $150,000 annually. He was in charge of some of the care of Perry. His role was to be at the heart of Perry’s daily life – and his last moments.
Prosecutors alleged Iwamasa was the enabler and supplier for Perry, who kept on giving him injections despite problems. It is claimed Iwamasa had administered over 25 doses of ketamine to Perry in the days preceding his death, three of which were on the night of his death. In his final moments, Perry had requested Iwamasa to “shoot me up with a big one,” according to court papers.
Judge Garnett spoke directly to Iwamasa before handing her down the sentence: “You know about his addiction problems, and your actions on the day of his death, and the days preceding his death, were reckless.”
Iwamasa was emotional as he testified to the court, “I’m so sorry to all of you. I’m just so sorry to have done illegal acts I will never forget. I will take that to my grave.”
Iwamasa was the first to reach a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine that caused a death, and he was the most important witness. He was also helpful in the investigations that led to the convictions of the other defendants.
Perry’s Family Watches On
Sentencing hearings have been a very traumatic experience for Perry’s family. Matthew Perry’s mom, Suzanne Morrison, and stepfather Keith Morrison were present at the federal sentencing hearing for Iwamasa in Los Angeles. All along the prosecutions, family members have voiced their wish for stiffer sentences, and for a more comprehensive accounting of the network that helped their son become addicted. Their appearance in court on May 27 was a quiet and dignified reminder of the personal sorrow that lurks behind court proceedings.
Who was Matthew Perry?
Matthew Perry is forever Chandler Bing to millions of fans around the world, the talkative and lovable Chandler Bing of Friends, played for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. The series became one of the most viewed TV series of all time and Chandler became a cultural icon because of Perry’s comedic timing.
But Perry had long been open about the pain that lay beneath the surface. He was a raw and honest account of his struggles with addiction in his own memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing (2022). He first recognised an alcoholism problem at the age of 21 and his addiction to painkillers started after he was hit by a jet ski in 1997. In his lifetime he had about 15 to 17 rehab sessions.
One day he was taking 55 Vicodin a day, and he still had to come in for his lines. In the show, he would undergo radical transformations in his appearance from one season to the next, sometimes depending on his location in his addiction.
Even in the dark, Perry was still committed to assisting others who were struggling with addiction. He explained that, above all else, he wanted to be remembered for the work he had completed in the addiction battle to help others overcome their addiction. My best attribute is if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me? In an interview in 2022 I can say yes, follow up and do it,” he declared. Fox News
A Case That Changed Hollywood
Prosecuting the five people who were involved in Perry’s death has been much hotter than the celebrity factor. DEA administrator Anne Milgram compared the escalating misuse of ketamine and the early years of the opioid epidemic, saying the drug’s outsourcing of its use from clinical settings is a significant and growing public health risk.
The Perry case has also sparked discussion on the vulnerabilities of people in recovery, particularly those who have so much wealth and fame that they could be exploited by others. Perry’s downfall was brought about by those who were supposed to help care for him.Those who were supposed to care for Perry became his downfall.
All five sentences are now final, and the legal case is closed. The legacy that’s left is more complex: a towering talent, a battle with addiction that was far from easy and a preventable death that a federal court has now ruled was not a coincidence.