United States President Donald Trump recently caused a ruckus by commuting the federal sentence of Larry Hoover. But that was far from his only significant legal intervention this week, as the convicted executive also pardoned NBA YoungBoy on Wednesday (May 28).
For those unaware, the Baton Rouge rapper was convicted in Utah in November of 2024 on charges relating to firearms and prescription drug fraud. He pleaded guilty to identity theft and forgery as part of a deal that also addressed federal gun charges. The pardon dismissed five years of probation, which Trump said he did to try to reform "a politicized and weaponized justice system."
However, Utah officials are not happy with NBA YoungBoy's pardon from Donald Trump. D. Chad Jensen (the Cache County Sheriff) and Taylor Sorensen (Cache County Attorney) released a joint statement on the matter.
"We are extremely proud of the work our investigator and prosecutors did on this case, as well as grateful for all the help we received from other local and federal agencies," they reportedly stated according to AllHipHop. "Mr. Gaulden [YB] pled guilty to the charges in this investigation, and we feel strongly the Justice System in Cache County is far from a 'weaponized system of justice.'"
Trump Pardon
"I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building - as a man, as a father, and as an artist," NBA YoungBoy wrote to Donald Trump online. "This moment means a lot. It opens the door to a future I've worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this. Big thanks to the Pardon Czar, Ms. Alice Marie Johnson, for fighting for second chances for so many people, and to my lawyer, Brittany K. Barnett, for being in my corner and all your hard work to make this possible. And thank you to everyone who believed in me."
Donald Trump's recent clemency strategy represents his administration's attempts to address criminal justice reform. Per ABC, the White House didn't explain why YoungBoy specifically was part of this. Nevertheless, he left jail in March of this year, before this pardon.
