Boosie Badazz’s Pardon Scam: What Went Wrong

The idea of buying a presidential pardon has become a new kind of business, especially under the current administration. Some people claim they can sell access to the president’s power, but many of those claims have turned out to be false. One artist who paid a large fee and got nothing is rapper Boosie Badazz, known off‑stage as Torence Hatch Jr.

Boosie was facing a federal gun charge after a traffic stop in San Diego. Because he is a convicted felon, owning a firearm put him in serious legal trouble. By August 2025 he had agreed to plead guilty and was waiting for sentencing. Feeling desperate, he turned to social media and tried to appeal directly to the president for a pardon, even reaching out during a White House event. Nothing came of it.

In his search for help, he met Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, two controversial right‑wing figures who run a lobbying firm. They promised that they had already secured nine pardons for other clients, though records show only one real pardon has been granted by the firm. Boosie signed a contract and paid $600,000, with a clause that he would get half the money back if the pardon did not materialize by a set deadline.

On New Year’s Day, Burkman and Wohl allegedly told Boosie’s lawyer that the president had signed a pardon. However, when Boosie’s legal team checked with prosecutors and court officials, there was no record of any pardon. A White House spokesperson said they had never seen his application. Despite this, Boosie was sentenced to 10 days of time served and three years of supervised release. The $300,000 refund never appeared.

The firm’s owners later claimed they were bankrupt, burdened by more than $6 million in debt from a prior robocall fraud settlement. Boosie’s lawyers filed for arbitration to recover their money, marking the first known lawsuit against a pardon broker during this presidency. The case has attracted attention online, with people divided between disbelief and support for Boosie’s claim that he was scammed by lobbyists who promised a path to the president.

This situation highlights how many politicians and public figures have been granted clemency in recent years. The president has issued more than 1,700 pardons during his second term, often favoring individuals connected to influential lobbyists. Boosie’s experience serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of paying for political favors that may not exist.