Man freed from prison after Trump signed criminal justice bill to attend State of the Union
Washington — One of the guests attending the State of the Union address would not have been able to attend were it not for the president. Matthew Charles walked to the White House on Tuesday a changed man.
He was once a so-called career offender. In 1996, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for selling crack cocaine.
"After leaving the military in 1987 I became a lawless person. And it wasn't until my incarceration in 1996 that the transformation began," Charles said.
That transformation over 21 years in prison earned him an early release in 2016. His lawyers successfully argued that his sentence was unfair and that he'd changed. He started over in Nashville where he worked in a food pantry and met his girlfriend.
But freedom was short lived when an appeals court reversed his early release and ordered him back to prison.
"It was a gut shot. It was like a bitter pill," Charles said.
In December, President Trump signed the First Step Act that eased mandatory-minimum drug sentences and led to Charles' release from prison again.
"I'm very honored and grateful that he signed the First Step Act. So I have nothing but respect and thankfulness for that," Charles said.
He is believed to be the first person freed from prison because of the First Step Act. Charles said his mission now is to push for others to get that first step to a second chance.
