Matthew Perry's former personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, is facing accusations of destroying evidence related to the late actor's drug use shortly after his death more than two years ago. According to a recent filing from federal prosecutors reviewed by TMZ, Iwamasa attempted to cover up proof of Perry's ketamine use just one hour after the 'Friends' star was found dead at his Pacific Palisades, California home on October 29, 2023.
The revelations come ahead of Iwamasa's sentencing on Wednesday, where prosecutors are requesting a 41-month prison term. Iwamasa, who faced up to 15 years behind bars, struck a plea deal in August 2024, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. The Department of Justice stated that Iwamasa 'repeatedly' and 'without medical training' administered lethal doses of ketamine to the 54-year-old actor.
After Perry was discovered face down in his jacuzzi, Iwamasa allegedly began destroying both hard copies and digital evidence of the actor's ketamine use. Federal authorities claim Iwamasa instructed another individual to eliminate proof of the network that supplied drugs to Perry. Prosecutors further allege that Iwamasa was dishonest on multiple occasions once the investigation into Perry's death commenced.
Attempts to Conceal Actions
Iwamasa reportedly tried to hide that he had personally injected Perry with several shots of ketamine in the hours leading up to his death. He also falsely claimed that Perry was responsible for hiding the ketamine bottles in the home, according to the legal filing. An individual identified as 'B.M.' was ordered by Iwamasa to collect physical evidence, including ketamine vials and syringes, and dispose of it immediately. Additionally, Iwamasa told an associate that other items, such as a written prescription for ketamine and a note linking Dr. Salvador Plasencia to Perry's drug network, needed to be shredded.
Prosecutors say Iwamasa informed Erik Fleming, another associate in the network, that he had 'cleaned up the scene' at Perry's home after his death. Iwamasa admitted to destroying physical evidence, changing Perry's digital passwords, and 'deleting everything' from computers to cover up evidence of the star's ketamine use.
Betrayal of Trust
Prosecutors argue that Iwamasa betrayed both Perry and his family by failing to act as a responsible handler for the addiction-prone actor, instead enabling his destructive habits. Perry's sisters, Caitlin and Madeline Morrison, expressed their devastation in statements submitted to U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Garnett in a May 20 court filing reviewed by People.
'It is difficult to put into words the sense of betrayal I felt when I found out what Kenny had done,' Madeline Morrison said. 'In many ways, it felt like my brother died all over again. Everything I believed about the day he died - everything Kenny told us - was a lie.' She added that the idea of someone her brother considered family betraying him in such an unimaginable way was something she never could have conceived.
Madeline noted that Iwamasa's behavior was suspicious after Perry's death. 'A few days after Matthew died, my sister and I went to choose clothes for him to be buried in - one of the most surreal and heartbreaking experiences of my life. I remember how manic and unsettled Kenny seemed. He repeatedly volunteered his version of events without being asked, as if he were being interviewed rather than mourning a friend.' She concluded, 'In reality he was trying to distract us from the truth: that he had injected my brother with a lethal dose of ketamine and left him in a hot tub to die.'
Madeline also revealed that Iwamasa 'even spoke at Matthew's funeral,' tainting the family's final memories of saying goodbye. 'The person responsible for my brother's death stood up and addressed the people who loved him most. That is like a cruel joke I still struggle with.'
Caitlin Morrison said she had 'no sympathy' for Iwamasa ahead of his sentencing. 'I cannot read Kenny's thoughts. I will never know if the lethal dose of ketamine was only lethal by accident. But I know that when Kenny left the house, he was doing one of two things. He was either escaping from something he knew he had done or he was willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation.'
