Boosie seeks $300,000 refund after pardon effort falls through

Key Points:

• Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz, legally Torence Hatch, is seeking to recover $300,000 from lobbying firm JM Burkman & Associates, which he hired for $600,000 to help secure a presidential pardon from Donald Trump for his federal gun conviction.
• The lobbying firm registered to contact the White House, DOJ, and Congress on Hatch’s behalf, but no pardon was announced, and a White House aide indicated no pardon request had been filed.
• The contract stipulated $300,000 was nonrefundable, while the other $300,000 would be refunded if no pardon was granted by a deadline and a written refund request was made; however, the firm disputes agreeing to return the money and cites financial debts as a reason it cannot issue a refund.
• Hatch pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm related to a 2023 incident and was sentenced to supervised release, community service, and a fine, with a presidential pardon potentially clearing his federal conviction.
• Following the lobbying dispute, Hatch’s attorney has submitted a separate pardon request directly to the White House.