BATON ROUGE — Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz is taking legal action against two men he hired for $600,000 to secure a pardon signed by President Donald Trump, according to a report by NOTUS.

Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman claimed to have secured the pardon on New Year's Day, which would have wiped the rapper's federal rap sheet, preventing him from being sentenced for possessing a firearm as a felon.

However, the pardon never showed up, leading Boosie to attempt to recoup half of his payment as written in the contract, according to NOTUS. 

The duo, who are far-right political operatives and lobbyists at JM Burkman & Associates, refused to pay Boosie, claiming to be bankrupt.

Traditionally, the Justice Department ran the pardon process, presenting qualified candidates to the president; however, under the Trump administration, a handful of White House aides advise who is considered for pardons, with the president having final say.

This has led to people with ties to President Donald Trump selling their influence, with millions having been paid to lobbyists, lawyers and advocates to petition clients' pardons.

Boosie said he agreed to Burkman's help last September, with the firm sending him a contract within days. 

The contract, which was filled with typos and errors according to NOTUS, was signed on Sept. 30, and it included a provision that would allow the rapper to request a partial refund if the lobbyists failed to secure a presidential pardon by Jan. 31 2025.

Wohl claimed that several MAGA influencers, including Erika Kirk and House Speaker Mike Johnson, endorsed a pardon for Boosie; however, a representative for Kirk told NOTUS that this was untrue, as Kirk does not know who the rapper is. Mike Johnson's office also denied these claims. 

According to NOTUS, Burkman and Wohl are known for their antics, with the duo previously allegedly attempting several false sexual harassment and assault allegations and tricking the Washington Post into reporting a fake FBI "raid" at Burkman's house in 2020.

The pair also pleaded guilty in 2022 to running an illegal robocall campaign that allegedly targeted Black voters. 

In 2025, Burkman & Associates reported $3.2 million in federal lobbying revenue according to federal lobbying disclosures.

On New Year's Day, Burkman told Boosie's lawyer that the pardon was signed with the White House just needing to announce it; however, Boosie's lawyer claimed to have reached out to a White House aide who said they had never seen a pardon. 

As March rolled around with the pardon still missing, the duo claimed it couldn't refund the rapper due to fines against the firm leaving it "bankrupt."

Since then, the business relationship has been terminated, with a federal Judge sentencing Boosie to three years of supervised release, which federal prosecutors are attempting to revoke following a federal gun charge in May.