Rapper Boosie is pursuing legal action against two members of a lobbying firm that he accuses of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from him and failing to secure a presidential pardon that they told him they would obtain on his behalf. As Boosie seeks the help of a number of right-wing figures, the rapper’s case is shining a light on the unchecked and potentially corrupt nature of the pardon process under Trump.
Boosie seeks refund after failed pardon bid
NOTUS recently reported that Boosie, whose real name is Torrence Hatch, is pursuing arbitration with lobbyists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman of the firm JM Burkman & Associates. Boosie hired the two men to obtain a pardon from President Donald Trump in order to clear his federal record and to prevent him from being jailed for violating supervised release for a recent gun conviction. Boosie paid the pair of men $600,000, and he is now claiming that his contract stipulates that he could request a refund for half of that money if he did not receive a pardon by January 2026; Boosie has not been pardoned. Throughout the process, Boosie claims that the two men regularly name-dropped various right-wing legislators and influencers, claiming that they had relationships with these people that they could leverage in their attempts to gain Trump’s pardon.
Wohl and Burkman are right-wing activists with a history of convictions and fines for deceptive actions — including a scheme to deceive Black New Yorkers into not voting in the 2020 election. They have disputed the claim that they owe Boosie a refund and defend taking the rapper’s money, claiming that they accumulated significant expenses as they pursued a pardon for Boosie. As NOTUS details, this case comes in the context of Trump’s departures from the usual presidential pardon process. Rather than channeling requests through well-defined offices and personnel, Trump’s pardons have been given haphazardly, with personal relationships and direct appeals to the president playing a major role. In this context, various lobbyists have charged significant fees based on their claims of access to Trump. Across both his terms, Trump has also granted pardons and commutations to various celebrities, including rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.
Boosie reaches out to MAGA names for help in his case
On Tuesday, Boosie reached out on social media to a list of top MAGA Republicans who he says were name-dropped by Burkman and Wohl, including Republican Reps. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Andy Biggs of Arizona. In an all-caps message, Boosie asked the people on the list to “PLEASE MAKE A TRUTHFUL STATEMENT ABOUT HAVING CONTACT R NO CONTACT WITH BURKMAN N WHOL ABOUT MY PARDON PROCESS.” As Boosie explained in the post, which was also addressed to MAGA influencers Erika Kirk, Laura Loomer and Mike Cernovich, “600k WAS TAKEN FROM ME WITH YOUR NAMES MENTIONED N EMAILS BY THESE PEOPLE.”
Several of the right-wingers mentioned in Boosie’s post replied to his message. “Hey Lil Boosie, I don’t privately advocate for pardons nor accept money to do so,” responded Cernovich, using the rapper’s previous stage name. “I do promote pardons publicly, with full transparency. Nothing against you, but never recommended a pardon for you nor even knew you wanted one.”
“I don’t get involved in this type of work and have no idea what you’re talking about. No offense but I also have no idea who you are and have never heard of your case,” replied Loomer, the Trump confidant with a history of racist social media posts. “Seems like Burkman is using people’s names without permission to get business,” Loomer said, adding, “You can’t pay for a pardon… not sure who told you that’s how it works.”
Rep. Mace, who recently lost her primary bid to become South Carolina’s next governor, offered to help Boosie. “Our office received an email requesting a phone call. My staff took one phone call last October. Our office promised nothing, and they never followed up. To our knowledge,” Mace replied. “More than willing to assist.”
Though he wasn’t listed in the initial post, former New York Rep. George Santos also replied, telling Boosie, “You were sold a bad bill of goods.” Santos, who gained a commutation from Trump after being expelled from Congress and sentenced to prison on federal fraud charges, told Boosie, “Have your people reach my people and I’ll give them FREE guidance on how the process works.”
While Santos could potentially offer Boosie firsthand knowledge of the commutation process as well as insights on right-wing scams, it is unclear whether the rapper will take up the former representative’s offer. So far, Boosie’s attempts to use right-wing influence to clear up his legal issues have cost him significant amounts of money with little to show for his spending. Now, the rapper is seeking out more right-wing help as he attempts to recoup some of his money, even as he potentially holds out hope that Trump will take notice of his case.