Pooh Shiesty Arrested: Charges, Bail Denial, and Trial Date

Memphis rapper Lontrell Williams Jr., known as Pooh Shiesty, was arrested on federal kidnapping and robbery charges on April 1, 2026, accused of leading an armed takeover of a Dallas recording studio to force Gucci Mane to release him from his 1017 Records contract at gunpoint. Williams and eight co-defendants face up to life in prison under the federal kidnapping statute.¹

What Prosecutors Say Happened at the Studio

According to the federal complaint, Williams arranged a January 10, 2026 meeting at a Dallas music studio with three music industry figures, including Radric Davis (Gucci Mane), owner of 1017 Records. The stated purpose was to discuss Williams’s recording contract, which he had held since April 2020 through a joint venture with Atlantic Records.²

Once the victims were inside, prosecutors allege, Williams and eight accomplices carried out what the U.S. Attorney’s Office called a “coordinated armed takeover.” Williams allegedly produced an AK-style pistol and forced Davis to sign paperwork releasing him from the contract. Co-defendant Rodney Wright Jr., the rapper known as Big30, allegedly filmed Davis signing the document and being coerced into saying on camera that he “released” Williams from the deal. Wright is also accused of barricading the studio door with his body to keep the victims from leaving.³

The group also allegedly robbed Davis of his wedding ring, watch, earrings, and cash. The other victims were held at gunpoint and relieved of Rolex watches, jewelry, a Louis Vuitton bag, Apple headphones, and more cash.⁴ One victim was choked to the point of near-unconsciousness, prosecutors said.¹

Reporting on Williams’s motive has pointed to dissatisfaction with his record deal. Fast Company noted he was “unhappy with his record deal and sought to be released from his contract,” though no prior legal filings or formal complaints about the deal have surfaced.⁵

The Charge and the Nine Defendants

The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas under case number 3:26-mj-00328.⁶ Each defendant is charged with kidnapping and robbery at gunpoint under 18 U.S.C. § 1201, which authorizes any term of years or life in prison for kidnapping and for conspiracy to kidnap.⁷

The nine charged defendants are:

Lontrell Williams Jr. (Pooh Shiesty)
Lontrell Williams Sr., his father
Rodney Wright Jr. (Big30)
Kedarius Waters
Terrance Rodgers
Damarian Gipson
Demarcus Glover
Kordae Johnson
Darrion McDaniel

The FBI executed court-authorized search warrants and arrested eight defendants across Dallas, Memphis, and Nashville on April 1, 2026.⁸ Williams himself was arrested in Frisco, Texas, on April 2.⁹ Terrance Rodgers, the ninth defendant, was taken into custody separately in Atlanta.¹⁰

Held Without Bail

Williams made his first court appearance on April 8, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver in Dallas. She ordered him held without bail, saying, “I find that the weight of the evidence against you is strong.”¹¹ Judge Toliver cited his prior weapons conviction and the fact that he was on home confinement from an earlier federal case at the time of the alleged offense, without permission to be in Dallas.⁹

Williams’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, told the court that statements given to authorities on the night of the incident were “very questionable” and argued that the FBI’s three-month delay before making arrests cut against the prosecution’s account.¹¹

Trial Date

The case is assigned to Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey. Trial was originally scheduled for July 6, 2026, but on June 5, 2026, Judge Godbey granted a defense continuance, finding that denying it “would deny defendant’s counsel the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation.”¹² Trial is now set for February 22, 2027, with a final pretrial conference on February 17, 2027.¹³ Williams remains in federal custody.

His Prior Federal Conviction

Williams’s earlier record was central to the bail decision. In January 2022, he pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and drug trafficking (Case No. 21-cr-20357).¹⁴ The plea covered three incidents: a 2020 shooting at a Memphis gas station, a 2020 armed assault during a drug deal outside a Bay Harbor Islands, Florida hotel in which a man was shot, and a 2021 assault with a firearm at a Miami strip club.¹⁵

On April 20, 2022, U.S. District Judge Kevin Michael Moore sentenced him to five years and three months in federal prison, with credit for a year served. Prosecutors dropped three additional charges as part of the plea, including one carrying a potential life sentence.¹⁶ He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.¹⁷

Williams was released on October 6, 2025, after serving roughly three years. Cohen attributed the early release to “a combination of time served and good behavior.”¹⁸ He was placed on home confinement as a condition of supervised release. Prosecutors say his presence at the Dallas studio on January 10, 2026, roughly three months after release, violated those conditions, pointing to ankle monitor data and license plate reader hits that tracked his travel from Tennessee to Texas.¹⁹

Gucci Mane’s Response

Davis declined to comment through his representatives after the arrests. On April 10, 2026, he released a diss track titled “Crash Dummy” that addressed the incident, describing the studio meeting as a “setup” and rapping, “Pen to the paper, but it’s under duress.” He also suggested the scheme failed: “Tell the truth, you went out like a real crash dummy, and after all that, boy you still signed to me.”²⁰

1
U.S. Department of Justice. Nine Men Including Well-Known Musical Artists Federally Charged With Kidnapping at Music Studio
2
Billboard. Pooh Shiesty Gucci Mane Timeline
3
Courthouse News Service. Rappers Pooh Shiesty, Big30 Charged in Music Studio Robbery, Kidnapping of Gucci Mane
4
USA Today. Gucci Mane Kidnapped, Robbery, DOJ Arrested
5
Fast Company. Gucci Mane Pooh Shiesty Kidnapped Robbed Arrested
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CourtListener. United States v. Lontrell Williams, Jr.
7
Cornell Law Institute. 18 U.S. Code § 1201 – Kidnapping
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USA Today. Pooh Shiesty Home FBI Search
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NBC DFW. Judge Orders Memphis Rapper Pooh Shiesty Held in Custody in Dallas Kidnapping Case
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Fox 4 News. Final Arrest Made in Pooh Shiesty Gucci Mane Music Studio Kidnapping Case
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News10. Judge Orders Rapper Pooh Shiesty to Remain in Custody in Case Involving Rapper Gucci Mane’s Label
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XXL Magazine. Pooh Shiesty Trial Date Gucci Mane Robbery Delayed
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Commercial Appeal. Pooh Shiesty Gucci Mane Kidnapping Trial Date Moved
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U.S. Department of Justice. Rapper Pooh Shiesty Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy Charge
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Rolling Stone. Pooh Shiesty Sentenced Five Years Prison Florida Gun Case
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WREG. Rapper Pooh Shiesty Gets 5 Years 3 Months for Gun Charge
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NBC Bay Area. Rapper Pooh Shiesty Released From Federal Prison
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Action News 5. Memphis Rapper Pooh Shiesty No Longer in Federal Custody
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NBC DFW. Rapper Pooh Shiesty Arrested in Dallas
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KERA News. Gucci Mane Crash Dummy Pooh Shiesty Dallas Studio Robbery Diss Track