Rapper Boosie Badazz is seeking to recover $300,000 from a Washington lobbying firm after a bid to secure a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump failed, according to court filings and published reports.
Boosie, whose legal name is Torrence Ivy Hatch Jr., entered into an agreement in 2025 with Washington-based JM Burkman & Associates, paying the firm $600,000 to pursue a pardon related to his federal firearm conviction, according to reports reviewing the contract. The agreement allegedly included a provision requiring the firm to refund half of the fee if a pardon was not obtained by Jan. 1, 2026.
The dispute is being handled through arbitration before the American Arbitration Association rather than in a traditional court lawsuit, according to the reports. Hatch contends the lobbying firm failed to deliver on its promises and has refused to return the $300,000 refund he says is required under the contract.
The lobbying firm, led by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, disputes Hatch’s claims. The firm has said it conducted an extensive advocacy campaign on his behalf and maintains it has no contractual obligation to return half of the fee.
According to published accounts, Hatch’s attorneys were told around New Year’s that Trump had signed the pardon and that a White House announcement was forthcoming. However, no pardon was announced. One of Hatch’s attorneys later said White House officials told her they had not received a pardon application in his case. The White House has not publicly commented on the dispute.
The disagreement has drawn attention to the growing business surrounding presidential clemency efforts, sometimes described by legal observers as the “clemency economy,” in which lobbyists, lawyers, and consultants are hired to seek pardons for clients. Refund provisions similar to the one Hatch says was included in his agreement are considered uncommon by attorneys familiar with pardon advocacy.
In posts on X, Hatch publicly questioned whether several conservative political figures identified by the lobbyists had actually been contacted on his behalf. Some responded that they either had no knowledge of his case or only limited contact with the firm.
Hatch was sentenced in January 2026 to three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in a federal case stemming from a 2023 arrest in San Diego. He received credit for time already served and was ordered to complete community service.
Burkman and Wohl previously pleaded guilty in Ohio in 2022 to charges related to illegal robocalls during the 2020 election and later settled related civil actions with state and federal authorities.
