One of the first inmates to be released after federal sentencing reforms will be living rent-free for five years thanks to Kim Kardashian West.
Tennessee man Matthew Charles, who was released from jail after serving 20 years of his 35-year sentence for non-violent drug and weapons charges, had his application denied because of his background when he tried to find housing in Nashville.
After hearing about Charles’ plight, Kardashian West, an advocate for criminal justice reform who previously met with President Donald Trump about the issue, got in touch with the released convict and offered to pay his rent for the next half-decade.
“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,” Charles wrote in a Facebook post.
Charles got his release in January under a new law known as the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform law signed by President Trump months after his meeting with Kardashian West at the White House.
Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
Prior to his 2019 release, Charles received national attention because he was ordered back to prison in 2018, two years after his sentence was first ruled unfair.
He attended this year’s State of the Union address at Trump’s invitation.
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