Rapper Boosie Badazz, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, has initiated arbitration to recover $300,000 from Washington D.
C. lobbying firm JM Burkman & Associates.
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The move follows the firm's failure to secure a presidential pardon from Donald Trump for Hatch's 2023 firearm conviction.
According to The Guardian, Hatch paid the firm $600,000 in 2025 to lobby the Trump administration for clemency.
However, the sought-after pardon never materialized.
Dispute Over Refund Agreement
Lobbyists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman reportedly told Hatch's legal team that the pardon had been signed. Yet the White House denied receiving the request.
Hatch explained that the lobbying firm initially displayed immense confidence. "They were real aggressive – they were talking like they had Trump on speed dial," he said.
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The legal battle now centers on whether a contractual agreement existed to return half of the upfront fee if the pardon was not granted.
The lobbying firm denied making any such agreement. "No provision to return half the fee was ever actually agreed to," JM Burkman & Associates stated.
Despite the lack of a refund, Jack Burkman asserted his firm campaigned heavily for the rapper.
"We continue to believe that Boosie very much deserves a pardon," he said.
Hatch sought the pardon to avoid a sentence of three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service, and a $50,000 fine.
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The sentence resulted from a federal guilty plea for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
