Kim Kardashian has taken her work with criminal justice reform to a whole new level.
According to multiple reports, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star paid five years of rent for Matthew Charles, a former inmate who was denied housing after being granted clemency.
Matthew shared the good news on Facebook Sunday (March 10). "Just received the most wonderful news tonight that I just had to share with everyone. Kim Kardashian-West, through Tracy, said they heard about my situation. Was moved and has decided to help me. And to me in an unbelievable way," he wrote. "Kim did not do this for attention or publicity, but I had to share it, because it's to [sic] good not to, and my heart is about to burst with happiness, that I wish you to rejoice in this news with me. And many of your responses about the outcome of my dilemma prophesied it."
"GOD IS GOOD!!!. WHAT THE DEVIL MEANT FOR BAD, GOD REVERSED AGAIN, FOR MY GOOD," Matthew added.
Matthew was initially sentenced to 35 years in prison for drug trafficking in 1996. However, he was released in 2006 under the Fair Sentencing Act, which "eliminates the five-year mandatory minimum prison term for first-time possession of crack cocaine." Despite the change in law, he was forced to return back to prison in 2018 after an appeals court overturned a judge's ruling of his release.
Kim shared Matthew's story last May, detailing his journey through the prison system. "This man is sentenced to 35 yrs for selling drugs. He serves over 21 yrs, is released, finds a job, new relationship, starts a new life, & now is being sent back for another 10 yrs because the original release was an error," she wrote on Twitter. "This man has completely rehabilitated himself. So sad."
Matthew was ultimately granted clemency and released on January 3 due to President Trump's First Step Act, which aims to reduce sentencing for non-violent offenders. However, Matthew's struggles only continued after his release, as he was denied housing due to his background. "Kim reached out privately to Matthew [on Sunday] after hearing he was having a hard time getting approved for an apartment and has generously offered to pay five years of his rent,” Tim Hardiman, a senior producer at CMT in Nashville told Us Weekly. "He was overwhelmed by Kim’s offer and graciously accepted. Her generosity will allow him to save enough money to eventually put a down payment on a house. It’s truly changed his life."
As fans know, Kim has been aiding with prison reform for the last two years. She even met with President Trump in 2018 to secure a pardon for Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving a life sentence for a first-time non-violent drug offense. After Alice's release, she continued her work by meeting with the President for a second time to discuss sentencing laws.
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