Kim Kardashian West working with Jared Kushner to free a 62-year-old grandmother from prison
Kim Kardashian West is working on a presidential pardon for a 62-year-old great-grandmother serving a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense.
ABC News confirmed that West has spoken with President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner about the pardon and release of Alice Marie Johnson, who has been in federal prison since October 1996, after she was convicted in a drug trafficking case.
The website Mic first reported that Kardashian West had been in communication with the White House. A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A source familiar with the issue told ABC News that Kardashian spoke on the phone with Kushner, noting that she has been working with her personal lawyer, Shawn Holley, to bring attention to Johnson’s case since the reality star became aware of it several months ago.
Holley has also been in touch with lawyers in the jurisdiction of Johnson’s court case, the source said.
"Kim has been generous with her time, money and tireless spirit in working toward freedom for Alice Johnson," Holley, Kardashian’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement.
Kardashian tweeted a link to Mic's story about Johnson, a first-time offender and reported model prisoner, in October of last year.
According to a 2013 ACLU report on people sentenced to life without parole for nonviolent offenses, Johnson got involved with people selling drugs out of desperation, after she lost her job and was unable to pay her bills.
She was arrested in 1993 and accused of participating in a drug trafficking and money-laundering operation that distributed cocaine. She said she never personally made drug deals or sold drugs but that she did relay messages and allowed others in the conspiracy to use her telephone.
One of Johnson’s daughters, Tretessa Johnson, wrote on a Change.org petition that her mother has been in prison 21 years "and will die there unless President Trump grants her clemency."
She noted that while in prison, her mother has been a "model prisoner" who mentors women, has become an ordained minister and upon release would work on reducing recidivism among ex-offenders.
"It serves no purpose or benefit to society to have her locked up for life. Her large and loving immediate and extended family and friends would welcome her return," Tretessa Johnson wrote.
News of Kardashian West's conversations with Kushner comes amid recent reports that he has been quietly pursuing prison reform for more than a year.
Kushner has first-hand experience with the federal prison system after his father, Charles Kushner, spent a year behind bars in 2005 for tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions.
He was 25 years old when he found himself thrust into the role of leading his family’s business, while frequently traveling to visit his father at a federal penitentiary in Montgomery, Alabama, on the weekends.
More than a decade later, people close to the younger Kushner say he now sees it as his responsibility to use his position and influence to affect change.
ABC News' Jordyn Phelps contributed to this report.
