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YoungBoy Never Broke Again has received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, Assosciated Press reports. In December of last year the rapper, whose real name is Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, was sentenced to 23 months in prison for possessing weapons as a felon. He was released from federal custody in March and had been under house arrest until Wednesday’s pardon announcement. In addition to his home confinement, a period of 60 months of probation has also been waved with the decision.
“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,” YoungBoy Never Broke Again” wrote in a statement shared on Instagram Stories. “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.”
YoungBoy was arrested on September 28, 2020, during a music video shoot in Baton Rouge after he was found in possession of a pistol. The rapper relocated to Utah to serve his house arrest; in 2021, authorities raided his home and uncovered evidence of a prescription drug ring, along with another weapon. He admitted to owning the weapons in both the Lousiana and Utah incidents as part of a plea deal, which downgraded four of the Utah charges to misdemeanors and ended a separate state investigation.
Earlier this month YoungBoy announced plans for a headline tour of North America. The MASA Tour (Make America Slime Again) tour is set to begin in September.
Trump has spent this week issuing high-profile pardons. In addition to YoungBoy, he has also pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley of the reality show Chrisley Knows Best and Larry Hoover, the former Chicago gang leader serving a life sentence in connection with a 1973 murder.. Hoover remains incarcerated on state charges.
