Matthew Perry’s Former Personal Assistant Kenneth Iwamasa Sentenced to More Than 3 Years in Prison

Prosecutors said that when Keanu Reeves’ former personal assistant, Christopher Iwamasa, was first questioned by police, he concealed that he had injected his boss, actor Matthew Perry, with ketamine. Months later, after search warrants were executed at his home, prosecutors said he changed his account and disclosed only part of the truth before ultimately admitting his role in Perry’s death. Authorities said Iwamasa later provided significant information about how ketamine was obtained for Perry and identified others involved in the drug supply chain, many of whom later pleaded guilty or were sentenced.

According to court documents, prosecutors said Iwamasa used two main channels to secure ketamine for Perry. In one, drug dealer Jasveen Sangha sold ketamine to Erik Fleming, an acquaintance of Perry’s, who then passed it to Iwamasa. In the second, doctors Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia worked together to obtain ketamine for sale to Perry through Iwamasa. Prosecutors said coded language was used in the drug deals, with ketamine vials referred to as “Dr Pepper,” “cans,” and “bots.” Court records also said Iwamasa purchased some vials after midnight at the Santa Monica Pier and at one point drove Perry to a parking lot in Long Beach, California, where Plasencia injected him with ketamine in the back seat of the vehicle.

Chavez and Plasencia, both of whom surrendered their medical licenses, were sentenced in December. Plasencia received 30 months in prison, while Chavez was given three years of supervised release, including eight months of home detention. Sangha was sentenced in April to 15 years in prison, and Fleming was sentenced this month to two years. Prosecutors said Iwamasa eventually gave useful information about his own role and the roles of the others in the case.

In a letter to the court, Perry’s mother, Debbie Morrison, said that no sentence could bring true closure. She wrote that the pain of losing a child so suddenly and violently would never disappear, adding that nothing could take away that suffering for as long as she lived.