American rapper Boosie Badazz is taking legal action against two political lobbyists after allegedly paying $600,000 (£440,000) for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump that never came.
Boosie, 43, whose real name is Torence Hatch, faced sentencing for possessing a firearm as a felon and hoped that a presidential pardon would wipe his criminal record clean.
He allegedly sought the help of two far-right political operatives and lobbyists at JM Burkman & Associates, who allegedly claimed they had strong connections within Trump’s inner circle.
However, according to a report reviewed by News of the United States (NOTUS), despite allegedly being told that his pardon had already been signed by the president, it never materialised.
Now, Boosie is seeking to recover half of the money he paid (£225,000) due to a clause in his contract that reportedly promised half his money back if a pardon was not secured.
According to one White House aide in the report, Boosie’s legal team was told that a pardon application had not even been submitted on his behalf.
Legal proceedings have now been launched by Boosie, who claims that he is entitled to half of his fee.
Wohl and Burkman have both disputed that any refund clause was agreed.
In a statement to TMZ, Burkman said: ‘Boosie has no reason to be unhappy. In 30 years of lobbying, I doubt we have ever done more work and harder work.
‘The provision in the contract he is referencing was never agreed to at all.’
Boosie has now launched arbitration proceedings against Wohl and Burkman, claiming he is entitled to half of his fee back.
The pair dispute that any refund clause was agreed.
In a statement to TMZ, Burkman said: ‘Boosie has no reason to be unhappy. In 30 years of lobbying, I doubt we have ever done more work and harder work.
‘The provision in the contract he is referencing was never agreed to at all.
‘The other factor is that Boosie’s quest for a pardon was made much tougher by an arrest for an alleged crime of violence in Texas earlier this year. We tried very, very hard.’
On January 9, 2026, Boosie was sentenced in a San Diego federal court for possessing a firearm as a felon.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo sentenced him to time already served, meaning he avoided additional prison time after he pleaded guilty.
In addition to his time served, his sentence included three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $50,000 (£37,460) fine.
His original charges stemmed from an arrest in May 2023 after law enforcement spotted him with a gun in his waistband during an Instagram live video.