{"id":912,"date":"2026-05-22T22:34:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=912"},"modified":"2026-05-22T22:34:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:34:24","slug":"woman-pardoned-by-trump-now-helping-south-florida-women-rebuild-lives-after-prison-i-have-to-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=912","title":{"rendered":"Woman pardoned by Trump now helping South Florida women rebuild lives after prison: \u2018I have to help\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MIAMI \u2014 Topeka Sam went from federal prisoner to a national advocate for women reentering society after incarceration.<\/p>\n

Read more Lipstick, thong-wearing Hollywood senior says he has \u2018right\u2019 to flash exasperated neighbors: Cops<\/a><\/p>\n

She says her life changed after a series of decisions led her into the drug trade and eventually behind bars.<\/p>\n

Now, after receiving a presidential pardon and founding a nonprofit organization, she\u2019s helping other women start over, including many here in South Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started selling drugs,\u201d Sam told Local 10 News. \u201cAnd that\u2019s how I ended up being in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a federal drug sting operation and I was arrested and put in the jail in Virginia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At 35, Sam was facing decades behind bars.<\/p>\n

\u201cI broke down because I did not expect it at all,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While incarcerated, Sam said she witnessed the harsh realities many women faced daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was this big dumpster that came out with used panties and you would have to go in and pick and see which panties weren\u2019t as soiled as others,\u201d Sam said.<\/p>\n

But Sam said even in her darkest moments, she felt called to something bigger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI woke up and God spoke to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI would start a nonprofit organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more FDA staff blindsided by move allowing more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto US market<\/a><\/p>\n

That vision became the Ladies of Hope Ministries, an organization now helping formerly incarcerated women rebuild their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to help because I believe that it is a requirement of me,\u201d Sam said.<\/p>\n

And today, she\u2019s fulfilling that mission nationwide, including here in South Florida.<\/p>\n

The organization is helping women like Judith Negron, who received clemency after serving time in a healthcare fraud case.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt a sense of belonging,\u201d Negron said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also helping Alina Feias, who says the group helped her after a stint in prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found the Ladies of Hope Ministry and here I am a full-time employee,\u201d Feias said.<\/p>\n

In 2020, Sam received a pardon from President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it was like God\u2019s pardon,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

On July 27, she\u2019ll host a \u201cpamper day\u201d for women inside Miami-Dade County\u2019s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, focused on encouragement, self-care and reminding those incarcerated that their story does not end behind bars.<\/p>\n

Read more Man accused of stealing $12,000 gold chain from tourist after game of chance in Wynwood<\/a><\/p>\n

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Topeka Sam went from federal prisoner to a national advocate for women reentering society after incarceration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWoman pardoned by Trump now helping South Florida women rebuild lives after prison: \u2018I have to help\u2019 - South Florida Moving Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=912\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Woman pardoned by Trump now helping South Florida women rebuild lives after prison: \u2018I have to help\u2019 - 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