Rapper Boosie Badazz is taking his fight from the music industry to the courtroom after alleging he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for help securing a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump—only for the promised clemency to never materialize. According to newly filed legal claims, Boosie is now seeking to recover a portion of the money he says he lost in the deal.
The lawsuit targets political operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, whom Boosie claims convinced him they had significant influence within Trump’s circle and could help obtain a presidential pardon. According to reports, Boosie—whose legal name is Torence Hatch—paid approximately $600,000 after being assured the pair had direct access to the White House.
Court filings reportedly allege that on New Year’s Day, Boosie’s attorney was told that President Trump had already signed the pardon and that it simply had not yet been publicly announced. That announcement never came, and Boosie now argues that under the terms of their agreement, he is entitled to receive a $300,000 refund because the promised pardon was never delivered.
Burkman has denied Boosie’s allegations, telling TMZ that no refund provision was ever agreed upon and insisting his team worked extensively on Boosie’s behalf. He also claimed Boosie’s legal situation became more difficult after the rapper was arrested in Texas earlier this year on an alleged violent offense, which he says complicated any potential clemency efforts.
Adding another twist to the case, a White House official reportedly told NOTUS that neither Wohl nor Burkman played any role in the federal pardon process. According to the report, officials said the clemency team had never heard from either man and suggested that their involvement could actually hurt, rather than help, someone’s chances of receiving a pardon.
Although Boosie did not receive a presidential pardon, he later received a sentence of time served in his federal firearm case. Reports indicate he still has a separate pardon application pending directly with the White House, meaning his pursuit of clemency may not be over. For now, however, his legal battle centers on recovering the money he says he paid for a promise that was never fulfilled.
