Key facts
- Rapper Boosie Badazz (Torence Hatch) paid lobbyists JM Burkman & Associates $600,000 in 2025.
- The payment was for securing a presidential pardon from Donald Trump for a weapons conviction.
- Boosie is seeking a $300,000 refund through arbitration.
- The lobbyists claimed Trump had signed the pardon, but it was never announced.
- The Trump White House stated it had not received a pardon request.
US rapper Boosie Badazz, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, is reportedly seeking to recover $300,000 from Washington D.C. lobbyists JM Burkman & Associates. Hatch paid the firm $600,000 in 2025 in an effort to secure a pardon from then-President Donald Trump for a 2023 conviction on charges of possessing a loaded weapon.
The lobbyists allegedly told Hatch's attorneys that Trump had signed the pardon and they were awaiting White House announcement, but the clemency was never issued. According to Notus, the Trump White House informed Hatch's attorney that no such request had been received.
The dispute centers on whether the firm is contractually obligated to return half of the upfront fee, as the firm disputes agreeing to such a provision. Hatch was sentenced to three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service, and a $50,000 fine for possessing the handgun during a music video shoot in San Diego in 2023, despite being a convicted felon.
JM Burkman & Associates, including lobbyists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, have a history of legal issues, including pleading guilty to running an illegal robocall campaign targeting Black voters in 2022 and settling with New York authorities and the FCC for over $6 million. The firm has stated that they believe Boosie deserves a pardon and that they conducted a "massive, highly tailored advocacy campaign."