Rapper Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, better known as NBA YoungBoy, said that he has been granted a pardon by President Donald Trump.
The rapper made the announcement on his Instagram page Wednesday.
What they’re saying:
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
RELATED: President Trump to grant full pardons to reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
He also thanked Alice Marie Johnson, Trump’s “Pardon Czar,” and his attorney, Brittany K. Barnett.
The backstory:
In 2024, a federal judge in Utah sentenced the Louisiana rap artist to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges after he acknowledged having possessed weapons despite being a convicted felon.
The rapper acknowledged that, while filming a rap video in Baton Rouge, he possessed a Glock 21 .45-caliber pistol and a Masterpiece Arms MPA30T 9mm handgun. Also, he said, he possessed a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his home in Huntsville, Utah. He agreed to give up the guns.
Gaulden had previously been convicted in Louisiana of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to his statement released in advance of the plea agreement.
Utah agents raided Gaulden’s home amid a complaint that he had posed as a doctor in an effort to obtain prescription painkillers, multiple news outlets reported.
What’s next:
NBA YoungBoy is preparing for his upcoming tour, titled “The MASA tour.” It will kick off in Dallas in September.
Big picture view:
President Donald Trump on Wednesday also signed pardons for reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, who have been serving federal prison sentences since being convicted three years ago of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Trump’s pardons pave the way for the couple best known for the TV series “Chrisley Knows Best” to be freed from prison. Todd Chrisley, 57, has been incarcerated at a minimum security prison camp in Pensacola, Florida. Julie Chrisley, 52, was imprisoned at a facility in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from NBA YoungBoy’s public statement on Instagram, where he announced the pardon and thanked former President Donald Trump, Alice Marie Johnson, and his attorney. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
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