WASHINGTON — Boosie Badazz is seeking a $300,000 refund after a reported effort to secure a presidential pardon from Donald Trump did not materialize.
The Baton Rouge rapper, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, paid Washington lobbying firm JM Burkman & Associates $600,000 in 2025 to pursue a pardon tied to his federal firearm conviction, according to reports. Hatch is now in arbitration with the firm, seeking half of that money back.
The dispute centers on whether the lobbying firm had agreed to refund $300,000 if a pardon was not secured.
According to reports, Hatch’s team said the firm’s representatives told his attorneys that Trump had signed a pardon and that the White House would announce it. The pardon was never announced. The White House later told Hatch’s attorney it had not received such a request, according to NOTUS.
JM Burkman & Associates has denied that it had a contractual obligation to return half of the fee. The firm said it advocated for Hatch and continues to believe he deserves a pardon.
Hatch pleaded guilty in connection with a 2023 federal firearm case in San Diego. He was sentenced to supervised release, community service and a fine.
The case has drawn attention beyond hip-hop because of what observers have described as a growing clemency economy surrounding presidential pardons. Reports say individuals seeking pardons have paid lawyers, lobbyists and political figures who claim access to Trump or his inner circle.
Hatch has also taken the issue to social media, asking several conservative figures and elected officials whether they were contacted during the pardon effort.
For now, Hatch has not received the pardon he sought, and the financial dispute over the failed effort is still playing out.