Rapper Boosie Demands $300K Refund From Lobbyists After Failed Trump Pardon
Rapper Boosie Badazz Demands $300,000 Refund After Failed Trump Pardon Bid
Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz (Torence Hatch) is heading to arbitration to claw back $300,000 from a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm after they failed to secure a presidential pardon from Donald Trump.
Hatch paid JM Burkman & Associates $600,000 in 2025 to lobby the Trump administration, hoping to overturn a federal gun conviction. Now, he wants half his money back.
The $600,000 Disappearing Act
According to a report from Notus, the firm’s lobbyists—notorious right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl—allegedly told Hatch’s attorneys that Trump had already signed the pardon and that they were just waiting on a White House announcement.
However, the clemency never materialized. When Hatch’s legal team reached out to the Trump White House, officials said they had never even received a pardon request for the rapper.
The legal dispute centers on an upfront fee. Hatch claims the firm is contractually obligated to refund 50% of the money if the pardon failed. The lobbying firm disputes this, claiming they never agreed to a refund and telling Hatch’s team that they are effectively bankrupt.
“When we first contacted them, they were real aggressive,” Hatch told Notus. “They were talking like they had Trump on speed dial.”
The Gun Case Behind the Pardon Bid
Hatch sought the pardon to wipe out a federal conviction stemming from a 2023 incident in San Diego. Police spotted him with a loaded handgun in his waistband during an Instagram Live stream at a music video shoot.
Because Hatch is a convicted felon, possessing the firearm was a federal crime. To avoid prison time, he accepted a plea deal that sentenced him to three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service, and a $50,000 fine. He hoped a presidential pardon would erase the conviction and end his sentence.
Lobbying Claims Put on Blast
Burkman claims his firm lobbied heavily for Hatch, targeting members of Congress and media figures. They even tried to use Trump ally Laura Loomer to pass the application directly to Trump’s executive assistant.
Hatch took to social media to call out the politicians and influencers the lobbyists claimed to have contacted. The responses suggest the firm oversold its access:
Laura Loomer posted that she had “no idea” who Hatch was and did not get involved in pardon work, warning him that “you can’t pay for a pardon.”
Rep. Nancy Mace confirmed her office took a single phone call from the firm but “promised nothing” and never heard back.
A History of Hoaxes
This is not the first time Burkman and Wohl have faced legal trouble. In 2022, the pair pleaded guilty to felony charges in Ohio for orchestrating an illegal robocall campaign designed to intimidate Black voters. The scheme cost them $1.25 million in civil settlements and a $5 million FCC fine.
The duo is also infamous for fabricating sexual harassment allegations against public figures and once staging a fake FBI raid on Burkman’s home to fool journalists.