The Pooh Shiesty indictment charges rapper Lontrell Williams Jr. and eight co-defendants with federal kidnapping and armed robbery for allegedly forcing Gucci Mane at gunpoint to sign a recording-contract release inside a Dallas studio on January 10, 2026. Williams has pleaded not guilty, remains in federal custody, and faces up to life in prison if convicted. Trial is scheduled for February 22, 2027 in the Northern District of Texas.1KERA News. Pooh Shiesty Gucci Mane Robbery Kidnapping Trial Moved
What Prosecutors Allege Happened
Williams had been signed to Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records since April 2020 under a joint venture with Atlantic Records and was reportedly unhappy with the deal.2Billboard. Pooh Shiesty and Gucci Mane Timeline According to the federal criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Texas, Williams arranged for Radric Davis (Gucci Mane) and two other music industry professionals to fly from Atlanta to Dallas under the pretense of a business meeting about Williams’s contract.3U.S. Department of Justice. Nine Men Including Well-Known Musical Artists Federally Charged With Kidnapping
The three arrived at a recording studio on Dallas Parkway around 3:43 p.m. and were separated. Williams allegedly took Davis into a recording room, produced contract termination paperwork, and drew an AK-style pistol when Davis refused to sign. At gunpoint, Davis was allegedly forced to sign the release and was robbed of his wedding ring, watch, earrings, and cash.4WTOP. Rapper Pooh Shiesty Charged With Kidnapping Over Alleged Dispute Involving Rapper Gucci Mane’s Label The other co-defendants allegedly produced firearms and robbed the remaining two victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, a Louis Vuitton bag, and other items. One victim was allegedly choked to near unconsciousness. Rodney Wright Jr., the rapper known as Big30, allegedly barricaded the studio door with his body and recorded Davis signing the release under duress.5Courthouse News Service. Memphis Rappers Pooh Shiesty, Big30 Among 9 Charged in Dallas Music Studio Robbery, Kidnapping of Gucci Mane
The Evidence the FBI Has Assembled
The government’s case rests on an unusually broad trail of electronic and physical evidence. Williams was wearing a Bureau of Prisons electronic ankle monitor at the time because he was on home detention from a prior federal conviction, and the monitor’s data placed him at the studio. Witnesses inside the studio reported overhearing Williams on a call with someone they believed to be a probation or parole officer telling him he was not authorized to be there; Williams reportedly claimed he had permission for “rec time.” Co-defendant Demarcus Glover was also on an ankle monitor, and his data likewise placed him at or near the studio.6Courthouse News Service. Federal Criminal Complaint – Williams et al.
Surveillance cameras captured the group entering the office building and fleeing at 4:48 p.m. in three vehicles: a white Buick Enclave, a black Dodge Charger Hellcat, and a black Dodge Ram. Apple AirTags attached to a victim’s stolen belongings gave investigators tracking data leading to locations tied to Williams’s father. Instagram posts by co-defendants Terrance Rodgers and Glover appeared to show them with the stolen Rolex, cash, and a distinctive “1017” pendant. FBI investigators also used cell phone records, license plate readers, Greyhound Bus records, and surveillance from a Comfort Inn where some co-defendants stayed after traveling from Memphis to Dallas.3U.S. Department of Justice. Nine Men Including Well-Known Musical Artists Federally Charged With Kidnapping
Charges, Custody, and Bail
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas filed a criminal complaint on April 2, 2026, and eight of the nine suspects were arrested the day before.4WTOP. Rapper Pooh Shiesty Charged With Kidnapping Over Alleged Dispute Involving Rapper Gucci Mane’s Label A Dallas grand jury later returned a formal indictment charging kidnapping and extortion. Each defendant faces up to life in federal prison.3U.S. Department of Justice. Nine Men Including Well-Known Musical Artists Federally Charged With Kidnapping
On April 8, 2026, U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver ordered Williams held in federal custody, citing the strength of the evidence, his criminal history, and the fact that he had violated the terms of his home confinement from a prior conviction when the alleged crimes occurred. “I find that the weight of the evidence against you is strong,” Judge Toliver said.7CP24. Judge Orders Rapper Pooh Shiesty to Remain in Custody in Case Involving Rapper Gucci Mane’s Label He remains detained.
The Plea and Defense Strategy
Williams pleaded not guilty on May 13, 2026.1KERA News. Pooh Shiesty Gucci Mane Robbery Kidnapping Trial Moved Dallas attorney John Helms, a former federal prosecutor for the Northern District of Texas with more than 20 years of trial experience, has taken over as lead defense counsel. Helms has signaled a defense that will challenge the government’s framing of the incident as a straightforward armed robbery over money. “The government tries to characterize this as a dispute over money between Lontrell and his record label, but in this business, things are very often not what they seem, and people’s motivations are very often not what they seem,” Helms said, promising a version of events “significantly different” from the prosecution’s.8BET. Pooh Shiesty’s New Lawyer Says Gucci Mane Robbery Case Is More Complicated Than It Looks Representatives for Gucci Mane have not publicly commented on the case.9BBC News. Pooh Shiesty Charged With Kidnapping Gucci Mane
The Co-Defendants
The other eight men charged are Williams’s father Lontrell Williams Sr., Rodney Wright Jr. (Big30), Kedarius Waters, Terrance Rodgers, Damarian Gipson, Demarcus Glover, Kordae Johnson, and Darrion McDaniel. Prosecutors allege the elder Williams helped plan the incident and rented one of the vehicles, and that surveillance placed him at a Staples earlier that day where the contract termination paperwork was allegedly printed. Gipson was seen on video retrieving a bag suspected of containing firearms and bringing it inside. Rodgers and Glover allegedly posted images of stolen items on social media afterward.3U.S. Department of Justice. Nine Men Including Well-Known Musical Artists Federally Charged With Kidnapping
Why the Prior Conviction Matters
The Dallas case is not Williams’s first federal prosecution. In January 2022, he pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of violent and drug trafficking crimes, a plea covering three separate incidents in July 2020 (Memphis), October 2020 (Bay Harbor Islands, Florida), and May 2021 (Miami).10U.S. Department of Justice. Rapper Pooh Shiesty Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy Charge On April 20, 2022, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore sentenced him to 63 months, with credit for roughly a year already served.11Commercial Appeal. Pooh Shiesty Prison Sentence in Florida Firearms Case
Williams was approved for home detention on or about October 31, 2025. His conditions required a Bureau of Prisons electronic monitor and prohibited possessing deadly weapons or being with anyone who had one. If the Dallas allegations are proven, they would directly violate those conditions, a point that weighed heavily against him at the bail hearing.12Spectrum News. Judge Orders Rapper Pooh Shiesty to Remain in Custody