Rapper Boosie BadAzz, whose legal name is Torrence Hatch Jr., is seeking a $300,000 refund from lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, alleging they failed to secure a pardon from then-President Trump for federal gun charges. Hatch paid the lobbying firm JM Burkman & Associates $600,000 in September 2025 with the expectation of receiving a pardon by January 1, 2026.
According to a signed agreement reviewed by The Post, the contract stipulated that the firm would refund $300,000 if the pardon was not obtained by the deadline. "This contract was prepared by and signed by Burkman & Associates, including the return of funds provision," said Jill Craft, Hatch's Baton Rouge-based lawyer. "We expect them to live up to their end of the signed contract."
Hatch reportedly received a text message on New Year's Eve 2025 from Burkman stating that Trump had the pardon "in hand and is ready to sign." Hatch's San Diego-based attorney, Meghan Blanco, stated that she also received a call on January 1, 2026, from Burkman, who indicated that the president had granted Hatch a pardon for possessing a firearm as a felon and that the White House was preparing to announce it. However, Blanco later learned from a White House aide that no pardon application had been submitted.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from The Post.
On January 9, 2026, a U.S. District Judge in San Diego sentenced Hatch to three years of supervised release, crediting him with 10 days served and ordering 300 hours of community service. He had been arrested in May for assaulting a Houston nightclub bouncer.
Hatch filed a lawsuit with the American Arbitration Association on March 25, seeking the return of half of his retainer fee. He also publicly criticized Burkman and Wohl on X (formerly Twitter), claiming they had mentioned reaching out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Andy Biggs, Rep. Nancy Mace, and conservative activists Laura Loomer, Mike Cernovich, Jack Posobeich, and Erika Kirk as part of their efforts.
Several individuals named by Hatch denied involvement. Laura Loomer and Mike Cernovich stated via X that they were unaware of Hatch's case and had not been involved. Rep. Nancy Mace's office confirmed receiving an email request for a call and taking one phone call in October but stated their office promised nothing and did not follow up.
JM Burkman & Associates issued a statement to The Post asserting that the firm worked diligently on the pardon but denied that there was an agreement to refund half of the retainer. "In 25 years, we cannot think of a single client for whom our firm has done more work than Boosie," the firm stated. "No provision to return half the fee was ever actually agreed to."
Burkman and Wohl have faced previous legal challenges. In 2022, they pleaded guilty in Ohio to telecommunications fraud for an illicit robocall campaign. They also reached an agreement with New York Attorney General Leticia James to pay a $1.5 million fine for similar schemes in Michigan and New York.