LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors have leveled stunning new accusations against Matthew Perry’s former personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa. Court documents reveal allegations that Iwamasa attempted to cover up the actor’s heavy ketamine use and destroyed critical evidence just hours after Perry was found dead.
The shocking timeline suggests the clean-up operation began a mere 60 minutes after Perry passed away on October 29, 2023, at his Pacific Palisades home.
This development comes ahead of Iwamasa’s scheduled sentencing hearing this Wednesday. The former assistant previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, a deal that dropped his maximum potential prison time from 15 years down to a requested 41-month sentence.
THE ALLEGED CLEAN-UP OPERATION
According to the federal indictment, Iwamasa scrambled to erase both physical and digital traces of the Friends star’s drug dependency. Investigators claim he instructed associates to destroy evidence linking Perry to a sophisticated drug supply network.
Among the items targeted for disposal were ketamine vials, syringes, medical prescriptions, and handwritten notes. Prosecutors say these notes directly connected a physician, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, to the drug supply chain.
Court records indicate Iwamasa later confessed to an associate that he had thoroughly cleaned the scene of the actor’s home. He allegedly changed digital passwords and wiped computers clean to conceal any trace of the illicit substance.
A WEB OF LIES AND OMISSION
Authorities maintain that Iwamasa repeatedly misled investigators during the initial hours of the inquiry. He reportedly hid the fact that he had personally administered multiple ketamine injections to Perry on the day he died.
Instead, Iwamasa falsely claimed that Perry was the one hiding drug vials around the house. When providing police with a list of the actor’s current medications, the assistant completely omitted any mention of ketamine or the injections.
BEYOND THE ASSISTANT ROLE
The investigation established that Iwamasa lived with Perry and earned an annual salary of $150,000. However, prosecutors argue his duties devolved from standard assistance into full-time drug facilitation.
In his confession, Iwamasa admitted to administering between six and eight injections of ketamine to Perry daily during the final days of the actor’s life. He allegedly learned how to give the injections from Dr. Plasencia and procured the substances through a middleman connected to an alleged street dealer.
Iwamasa was the first of five co-defendants to reach a plea deal, subsequently turning into a key witness for the government’s broader investigation.
FAMILY BREAKS SILENCE ON BETRAYAL
Matthew Perry’s family members have expressed deep pain and anger toward the man they once trusted with the actor’s well-being.
Madeline Morrison, Perry’s sister, described the revelation of Iwamasa’s actions as a profound betrayal, stating it felt as though her brother died all over again.
Her sister, Caitlin Morrison, stated she holds absolutely no sympathy for the former assistant. She noted that when Iwamasa left the residence that day, he was either fleeing his own actions or deliberately abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation.
While prosecutors are firmly pushing for a prison sentence of three years and five months, Iwamasa’s extensive cooperation with federal authorities could still influence the judge’s final decision this week.
