Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz (Torence Hatch Jr.) says he paid $600,000 to two far-right lobbyists who promised to help secure a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. The pardon never arrived. He is now fighting to recover half the money and has discussed the episode with Lesley Stahl for a 60 Minutes segment.

Boosie is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana—not Georgia—though he has performed and faced legal issues in the state. In 2023 he was arrested in San Diego on federal charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm after police found guns in a vehicle during a video shoot.

Boosie 60 minutes interview: I Was Scammed

He pleaded guilty in August 2025. In January 2026 a judge sentenced him to time served, three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service, and a fine. Facing that outcome and travel restrictions that limited his work, he sought clemency.

The $600,000 pitch

In September 2025, Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman of JM Burkman & Associates approached his lawyers. They presented themselves as having proximity to Trump and his orbit, claimed prior success obtaining pardons, and offered to craft a petition narrative. Boosie paid $600,000 upfront. A contract reviewed by multiple outlets included a clause that half the fee ($300,000) would be refundable if a full pardon was not secured by a deadline. The document contained typos, including a 2025 date that had already passed when it was signed.

The lobbyists later told Boosie’s attorney around New Year’s that Trump had signed the pardon and the White House just needed to announce it. Boosie has described celebrating in his house. No announcement came. An assistant U.S. attorney found no record of a signed pardon. A White House official told reporters the clemency team had never dealt with Wohl or Burkman and had not seen an application in Boosie’s name. Federal lobbying records did not support the pair’s claim of having secured multiple prior pardons.

The dispute

Boosie has called the arrangement a scam and a “Ponzi scheme,” saying the operatives “preyed on me” while he was under legal pressure. He is pursuing the $300,000 refund through arbitration or related legal action. Wohl and Burkman dispute that any refund provision was agreed to, say they performed substantial work, and have cited financial problems stemming from earlier fines. Both men have prior convictions related to a 2020 robocall scheme.

This is a contract fight between a private client and private lobbyists who marketed access. The White House has denied involvement with the pair. Boosie has still said he would welcome a pardon.

Enter Boosie 60 Minutes

A 60 Minutes segment titled “The Pardon Economy,” reported in part by CBS investigative journalists and featuring correspondent Lesley Stahl, includes an interview with Boosie about the $600,000 arrangement.

Promotional material describes it as a look at lobbyists offering a chance at clemency at a cost and with no guarantees. The episode was slated to air Sunday evening. Stahl’s interview is part of broader reporting on a market that has grown around high-volume presidential clemency.

Boosie has also recounted the episode in other interviews, including with Rickey Smiley, describing the moment he believed the pardon was signed and the subsequent realization that it was not. The case has drawn attention to the informal, high-fee industry that has developed around pardon requests. Outcomes remain uncertain: the refund fight continues, and no pardon has been issued.

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