Boosie Badazz was sentenced on Friday to no additional prison time after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo imposed a sentence of time served, three years of supervised release, and 300 hours of community service, according to the rapper’s lawyer. The decision largely mirrored what Boosie, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, had sought, though he had asked for only a two-year probationary term and community service.
“The outcome allows Mr. Hatch to move ahead with his life, continue his music career, and remain a positive influence on his children and the broader community,” defense lawyer Meghan Blanco said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “We are all very grateful.”
Federal probation officials had recommended a sentence of 46 months in prison. Prosecutors urged a shorter term of exactly two years in prison, citing Hatch’s decision to plead guilty last August and his troubled childhood as mitigating factors. Had he gone to trial and been convicted, Hatch could have faced up to 15 years behind bars.
In his filings seeking leniency, Hatch said his decision to possess a firearm in San Diego in June 2023 “reflects a lapse in judgment rather than ongoing criminal behavior.” He said the incident was “nonviolent, and isolated” and came after “an approximately ten-year gap between his prior criminal conduct.”
In their separate filing, prosecutors said Hatch was a witness to domestic violence between his parents when he was young. They said the death of his father due to a brain tumor “deeply affected him,” leading to depression and behavioral problems in his teenage years. Citing the background report prepared by probation officials, prosecutors said Hatch also witnessed his dad’s substance abuse and started using marijuana when he was only eight years old.
“Defendant has clearly demonstrated acceptance of responsibility,” prosecutors wrote in their filing obtained by Rolling Stone. “[Hatch] had a difficult upbringing, which likely contributed to his current predicament.”
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But prosecutors also noted that Hatch had prior convictions for resisting arrest, battery, assault, illegal carrying of a firearm, drug trafficking offenses, possession of narcotics, and bringing narcotics into a penitentiary.
In his own sentencing memo, Hatch suggested he was carrying the gun in California for protection after he was the victim of a shooting in Texas. That incident “understandably heightened his sense of vulnerability and personal safety,” his filing said.
A father of nine, Hatch was first charged after San Diego police identified him on an Instagram live video shared online by an alleged member of a Neighborhood Crip street gang. He was seen in the video with a gun tucked in his waistband, prosecutors said.
Police used helicopters to track Hatch until officers could conduct a traffic stop, court filings recount. Hatch initially denied having any weapons, but officers found a loaded 9 mm Glock 19 pistol in the back seat, and Hatch’s security turned over a 9 mm Springfield “Hellcat” loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said. Hatch’s DNA was found on both firearms, and the guns were purchased in Georgia by Hatch’s girlfriend, officials said.
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After an initial indictment was dismissed on procedural grounds, a second two-count indictment was returned in July 2024, charging Hatch with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition. On Aug. 26, he pleaded guilty to the felon-in-possession charge.
“Just accepted a plea deal from the federal government on my gun case. I thought this case was over n I was going to get on with my life but ‘God don’t make mistakes’ n I’m tired of fighting,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Aug. 4. “Talked to my family n this is the right decision. To all my fans across the world say a prayer for ya boy n go get the new album.”
