LOS ANGELES, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A former live-in assistant who admitted injecting actor Matthew Perry with ketamine before the "Friends" star's fatal overdose was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in federal prison, closing another chapter in the sprawling drug case tied to Perry's death in 2023.
Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry's longtime assistant and caretaker, received a 41-month sentence in prison in Los Angeles federal court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in Perry's death. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 U.S. dollars and serve two years of supervised release.
Perry, best known as Chandler Bing on the global hit sitcom "Friends," was found dead at the age of 54 in 2023 in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. The medical examiner ruled ketamine the primary cause of death in the accident, citing its "acute effects," while listing drowning as a contributing factor.
Federal prosecutors said Iwamasa, who had no medical training, repeatedly injected Perry with ketamine during his final weeks despite witnessing alarming physical reactions. Court filings said Iwamasa injected him at least 27 times in the days before his death, including several injections on the day Perry died. Prosecutors said Perry spent roughly 55,000 dollars on ketamine in the two months before his death.
Five people were ultimately charged in connection with Perry's overdose death, including two doctors, a drug intermediary, Iwamasa, and North Hollywood dealer Jasveen Sangha.
Earlier this year, Sangha was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to selling the ketamine dose that prosecutors said killed Perry. Federal prosecutors called her North Hollywood residence a "drug-selling emporium" for wealthy clients and celebrities.
Salvador Plasencia, another defendant who was a doctor, previously received a 30-month prison sentence for illegally supplying ketamine to Perry. Another doctor, Mark Chavez, was sentenced to eight months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved for limited medical uses but increasingly prescribed in supervised settings for depression and chronic mental health conditions. Experts say the drug can become dangerous when used recreationally or outside medical supervision because it can impair breathing, consciousness and cardiovascular function.
