Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz has taken his $600,000 presidential pardon dispute to national television, saying he believed paying two Washington lobbyists would lead to clemency from US President Donald Trump.
Boosie, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, discussed the case during a 60 Minutes investigation into consultants and lobbyists who seek presidential pardons for clients.
“This is what I was led to believe if you come with this money, you will get a pardon,” the rapper told Lesley Stahl.
When asked how much he paid upfront, he replied, “$600K. Yeah.”
Boosie hired JM Burkman & Associates in 2025 to advocate for a pardon in his federal gun case.
WAFB reported that federal lobbying records showed the firm registered to contact the White House, the US Department of Justice and Congress on his behalf.
No pardon was granted. Boosie later sought the return of $300,000, half of the payment.
An agreement stated that $300,000 was non-refundable, while the remaining $300,000 could be returned if he did not receive a pardon by a specified deadline and requested a refund in writing.
Burkman disputes that an enforceable refund agreement existed, telling CBS that “the final agreement was never signed”.
Boosie told Stahl he wanted his money back after the effort failed. “I said, ‘Just return it. You didn’t give me my pardon.’ It’s a bunch of BS. And they were so cocky,” he said.
The rapper has filed an arbitration claim seeking the disputed $300,000.
