Woman pardoned by Trump now helping South Florida women rebuild lives after prison: ‘I have to help’

MIAMI — Topeka Sam went from federal prisoner to a national advocate for women reentering society after incarceration.

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She says her life changed after a series of decisions led her into the drug trade and eventually behind bars.

Now, after receiving a presidential pardon and founding a nonprofit organization, she’s helping other women start over, including many here in South Florida.

“I started selling drugs,” Sam told Local 10 News. “And that’s how I ended up being in prison.”

Sam said she never expected her life to take that turn. She grew up in a stable home, but said the wrong decisions and fast money changed everything.

“It was a federal drug sting operation and I was arrested and put in the jail in Virginia,” she said.

At 35, Sam was facing decades behind bars.

“I broke down because I did not expect it at all,” she said.

While incarcerated, Sam said she witnessed the harsh realities many women faced daily.

“There was this big dumpster that came out with used panties and you would have to go in and pick and see which panties weren’t as soiled as others,” Sam said.

But Sam said even in her darkest moments, she felt called to something bigger.

“I woke up and God spoke to me,” she said. “I would start a nonprofit organization.”

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That vision became the Ladies of Hope Ministries, an organization now helping formerly incarcerated women rebuild their lives.

“I have to help because I believe that it is a requirement of me,” Sam said.

And today, she’s fulfilling that mission nationwide, including here in South Florida.

The organization is helping women like Judith Negron, who received clemency after serving time in a healthcare fraud case.

“I felt a sense of belonging,” Negron said.

It’s also helping Alina Feias, who says the group helped her after a stint in prison.

“I found the Ladies of Hope Ministry and here I am a full-time employee,” Feias said.

In 2020, Sam received a pardon from President Donald Trump.

“For me, it was like God’s pardon,” she said.

Sam, who received an honorary doctorate in divinity from the New York Theological Seminary in recognition of her work, is now dedicating her life to helping other women find a second chance too.

On July 27, she’ll host a “pamper day” for women inside Miami-Dade County’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, focused on encouragement, self-care and reminding those incarcerated that their story does not end behind bars.

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