The Boosie pardon dispute has drawn a blunt response from Angela Stanton, who says the rapper misunderstood the difference between paying someone to advocate for clemency and purchasing a guaranteed outcome.
During an interview with B High TV, Stanton opened with a warning: “You can’t buy a pardon.” She added, “So buying a pardon is illegal,” before clarifying that applicants can legally compensate attorneys, lobbyists and advocates for their work.
That distinction matters. Under 18 U.S. Code Section 201, offering something of value to a federal official in exchange for an official act can constitute bribery. Paying a private firm to prepare a petition, lobby officials or advocate for clemency is different. Advocacy does not guarantee a Boosie pardon because only Trump can grant federal clemency.
According to NOTUS, Boosie, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, paid JM Burkman & Associates $600,000 in September 2025. The firm, operated by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, agreed to advocate for clemency connected to Boosie’s federal firearm conviction. A contract reviewed by NOTUS included a provision allowing Boosie to seek the return of $300,000 if a pardon was not secured by the stated deadline. The firm disputes that it agreed to the refund.
Stanton told B High TV that she previously offered to assist Boosie without charging him. She said she helped place him before Alice Marie Johnson during a Black History Month event and instructed him to provide his paperwork so she could review and submit it.
“I can never, I can’t promise a pardon, right,” Stanton said. “The only thing I can do is promise that I can advocate.”
NOTUS separately confirmed that Boosie spoke with Johnson about his Boosie pardon request during Trump’s first Black History Month celebration after returning to the White House. Stanton said she stopped pursuing the matter after Boosie failed to send his paperwork and later told her he had people with stronger Trump connections handling the process.
According to Stanton, Boosie eventually called and said the lobbyists had taken his money. When she asked how much he paid, Stanton recalled, “He was like 600,000.”
The federal firearm case began after San Diego police saw Boosie with a gun in an Instagram Live video filmed during a May 2023 music video shoot. According to the Justice Department, officers recovered a loaded Glock 19 from the vehicle where he had been seated. He later admitted possessing the firearm.
According to Courthouse News Service, a federal judge dismissed the case in July 2024 following a Ninth Circuit ruling concerning firearm restrictions for people with nonviolent felony convictions. Boosie later pleaded guilty in August 2025. The Justice Department said Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo sentenced him on January 9, 2026, to three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $50,000 fine.
The failed Boosie pardon effort is now being contested through arbitration. NOTUS reported that Burkman and Wohl allegedly told Boosie’s attorney that Trump had the paperwork and later claimed the pardon had been signed. A White House aide reportedly found no evidence that their application had arrived. Boosie’s attorney subsequently submitted a separate application directly to the White House, which was under review as of July 13.
Boosie also faces a possible revocation of his supervised release following a pending aggravated assault case in Houston. According to WAFB, federal probation officials recommended 18 months in prison, while Boosie disputed their allegations and said the Texas case should be dismissed.
For Stanton, the money dispute also raised a question about trust. “My feelings were hurt because I’m like we as a people, we talk about this all the time,” she said. “Do we not believe that that black women can make this happen?”
