Alabama prisoner pardoned by Trump after Kim Kardashian’s lobbying floated as president’s ‘pardon czar’
A woman incarcerated in a federal prison in Alabama whose life sentence was commuted in 2018 after Kim Kardashian pleaded her case to Donald Trump is reportedly under consideration to be the president’s “pardon czar.”
Alice Marie Johnson, then 63 years old, became an ardent Trump supporter after her life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president.
She later appeared in Trump campaign ads targeted at Black voters.
Her potential role as “pardon czar” is not clearly defined, but the New York Times reported the possibility on Wednesday, citing “three people familiar with the discussions.”
“Ms. Johnson’s appointment has not been finalized, and like many things in Mr. Trump’s world, plans could change,” the Times reported. “When reached by phone, Ms. Johnson declined to comment. A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.”
Johnson had been imprisoned at an Alabama federal prison for 21 years after being convicted of drug conspiracy and money laundering in 1997. According to a 2013 profile by Mic, Johnson was married and had her first pregnancy at age 15. She went on to graduate from high school in Olive Branch, Mississippi and had four more children.
Alice Marie Johnson and Kim Kardashian attend an event celebrating Johnson’s 5 years of freedom and honoring Kim Kardashian on June 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for ABA)Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Johnson and her husband divorced in 1989 and she lost her long-time job at FedEx due to a gambling addiction. She filed for bankruptcy, lost a house to foreclosure and then, in 1992, her youngest son Cory was killed in a scooter accident.
At this point, Johnson became involved with people who were dealing drugs. She began working for an operation that transported cocaine to Memphis, Tenn. In 1993, she and 15 others were arrested on various drug and money laundering charges. Ten of her co-conspirators testified against her in exchange for reduced sentences, even though Johnson said she was only a go-between and never made any deals or sold drugs.
The co-defendants who testified against her were given sentences ranging from probation without jail time to 10 years; Johnson received life in prison without parole, plus 25 years, Mic reported. It was her first conviction.
Trump tweeted a photo of himself with Kardashian in the White House, where they talked criminal justice reform, including Johnson’s case for clemency.
Johnson was being held in Alabama’s Aliceville Federal Correctional Institution.