NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz is trying to get back $300,000 from a Washington lobbying firm he hired to help him seek a pardon from President Donald Trump, according to NOTUS, a nonprofit news outlet that covers the federal government.
Boosie, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, paid JM Burkman & Associates $600,000 in 2025 to push for a pardon in his federal gun case, NOTUS reported.
Federal lobbying records show the firm registered to contact the White House, the U.S. Department of Justice and Congress on Hatch’s behalf. The records say the firm’s goal was to help him receive a presidential pardon.
NOTUS reported that Hatch is now taking the dispute to arbitration, a private process used to settle disagreements outside of court.
According to the report, Hatch’s attorney said the lobbyists told her around New Year’s Day that Trump had signed the pardon and that they were waiting for the White House to announce it.
The pardon was never announced, and Hatch’s attorney was unable to confirm that one had been granted, NOTUS reported.
The news outlet also reported that a White House aide told Hatch’s attorney that the aide had not seen a pardon request filed for Hatch.
Agreement included possible refund
A signed agreement says Hatch was required to pay the full $600,000 upfront.
The contract says $300,000 was nonrefundable. It says the other $300,000 would be returned if Hatch did not receive a pardon by a set deadline and asked for the refund in writing.
JM Burkman & Associates disputes that it agreed to return half of the money.
NOTUS also reported that Burkman later told Hatch the firm could not issue the refund because it owed millions of dollars in fines and other debts.
Boosie sentenced in federal gun case
Hatch pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm after authorities said he had a loaded gun while filming a music video in San Diego in 2023.
This image, provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, shows rapper Torrence Ivy Hatch, also known as Boosie Badazz, appearing on an Instagram Live video in May 2023 with a firearm tucked into his waistband, which federal prosecutors said led to his arrest and conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.(Dept. of Justice)A federal judge later sentenced him to three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $50,000 fine. He was not sentenced to more prison time.
Related: Boosie avoids prison in federal gun case, sentenced to supervision and fine
A presidential pardon would forgive the federal conviction.
NOTUS reported that Hatch’s criminal defense attorney has since sent a separate pardon request directly to the White House.
