Major US Rapper Granted Presidential Pardon by Donald Trump

NBA YoungBoy has scored a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, part of a sweep of pardons issued Wednesday (May 28).

The 24-year-old rapper, real name Kentrell Gaulden, had been serving time on multiple federal gun possession charges. His attorney, Drew Findling, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone, stating: “I did not do the pardon application, but can confirm he was pardoned.”

Gaulden shared a message of thanks via Instagram Stories: “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.”

The rapper’s legal troubles span several states and years. In December 2024, Gaulden pleaded guilty to two separate gun-related charges, one stemming from a 2020 arrest in Louisiana, the other filed in Utah, resulting in a 23-month federal prison sentence. He received credit for time served since May 2024, when federal agents raided his home in Utah and took him into custody.

That raid came while Gaulden was already under house arrest in Huntsville, Utah, for earlier federal weapons charges. On April 16th, 2024, he was arrested again, this time tied to an alleged fraudulent prescription drug ring. Ten days later, additional charges followed — including a second-degree felony count of possessing a dangerous weapon as a restricted person, and two misdemeanors linked to controlled substances.

As part of his plea deal, Gaulden admitted to being a felon in possession of two firearms during his September 2020 arrest in Baton Rouge, where he’d been filming a music video outside his grandfather’s house. He also acknowledged knowingly possessing a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol in Utah while under house arrest.

According to local news station KUTV, Gaulden had returned to Utah last month after serving time in federal prison, just ahead of receiving the pardon.