Pooh Shiesty’s Dad: Charges, Bond Fight, and What’s Next

Pooh Shiesty’s dad is Lontrell Williams Sr., a Memphis figure known in the local music scene as “Mob Boss,” and he is a co-defendant with his son in a federal kidnapping and robbery case out of Dallas. The FBI arrested him on April 1, 2026, and charged him alongside the rapper and seven other men under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a) and (c) in connection with an armed confrontation at a recording studio involving Gucci Mane. He has pleaded not guilty. After a stay and a failed government effort to revoke his release, he is now out on a $250,000 bond and awaiting a July 2026 trial.¹

What Prosecutors Say He Did

Federal prosecutors describe Williams Sr. as an active planner, not a bystander. The alleged scheme played out on January 10, 2026, at a Dallas music studio, where his son Lontrell Williams Jr. — the rapper Pooh Shiesty — had arranged a meeting with representatives of Gucci Mane’s label, New 1017 Records, ostensibly to discuss the terms of his recording contract.² Once inside, according to the indictment, the group carried out what authorities called a “coordinated armed takeover,” and Williams Jr. produced an AK-style pistol and forced a victim identified in court records as R.D. — matching Gucci Mane’s legal name, Radric Davis — to sign a release from the recording contract at gunpoint.³

Williams Sr.’s alleged fingerprints are on the logistics. Prosecutors say he rented the vehicle the group used to travel from Memphis to Dallas, a claim supported by rental car records cited by North Texas U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould.⁴ The government also alleges he booked the recording studio under a pretext and stopped at a Staples to print the contract termination paperwork his son later used at the meeting.⁵

He was allegedly in the recording room during the confrontation. According to court filings, he told his son that the forced contract release “needed to be dated,” which prompted the victim to write a date next to his signature.⁶ Prosecutors further allege he drove the getaway vehicle and was seen leaving the studio carrying a backpack he had not brought in.⁵ Three industry professionals were allegedly held at gunpoint during the incident, Rolex watches, jewelry, and cash were taken, and at least one victim was choked to near-unconsciousness.²

The Arrest and Bond Fight

FBI agents executed a search and arrest warrant around 6 a.m. on April 1, 2026, at a family home in Cordova, Tennessee, a Memphis suburb. The property is registered under the name Lontrell Williams, shared by father and son.⁷ Williams Sr. was taken into custody during the raid. Eight of the nine defendants were arrested that day in coordinated operations across Dallas and Memphis.

At a detention hearing in Memphis on April 3, his attorney Howard L. Wagerman put on several witnesses, including friends, a barber, and the mother of one of Williams Sr.’s children. The court found probable cause and set bail at $250,000, secured by a $25,000 cash deposit, then ordered him transferred to the Northern District of Texas.⁸

The government pushed back fast. On April 6, U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade stayed the release order to give prosecutors time to file a formal motion to revoke bond.⁹ In their filings, prosecutors argued his role was “not peripheral,” citing the rental car, the Staples run, his presence during the armed confrontation, and the backpack.⁵ After a May 27 hearing, Senior U.S. District Judge David Godbey denied the motion to revoke and lifted the stay.¹⁰ Williams Sr. was released the next day and ordered to remain in Texas pending trial. The judge’s full reasoning has not been publicly reported.

How His Case Fits With His Son’s

Pooh Shiesty is not out. He was denied bond on April 8, 2026, after prosecutors argued he was a flight risk and a danger. They noted that at the time of the alleged Dallas kidnapping he was on home confinement and wearing an electronic monitoring device, serving the remainder of a federal sentence from a 2022 Florida gun case.¹¹ He had been released from federal prison in October 2025, roughly three months before the alleged studio takeover.

The alleged motive tying father and son together is a business one. Williams Jr. signed with Gucci Mane’s New 1017 Records in 2020. In 2024, Gucci Mane reportedly released most of the label’s artists but kept Pooh Shiesty and one other, Foogiano.¹² Prosecutors say the January 10 meeting was arranged under the pretext of discussing that contract, and that Williams Sr. handled the paperwork side of what became an armed forced-release attempt. No prior civil litigation over the contract has been reported.

What Comes Next

A final pretrial conference is set for July 1, 2026, with a jury trial to begin July 6, 2026, before Judge Godbey in the Northern District of Texas.¹ All nine defendants, Williams Sr. included, face a kidnapping charge that carries a maximum of life in federal prison. Both Williams Sr. and co-defendant Rodney Wright Jr., the rapper Big30, have entered not-guilty pleas.¹³

1
Complex. Pooh Shiesty Father Bond Gucci Mane Robbery Trial
2
U.S. Department of Justice. Nine Men Including Well-Known Musical Artists Federally Charged With Kidnapping
3
Courthouse News Service. Memphis Rappers Pooh Shiesty, Big30 Among 9 Charged in Dallas Music Studio Robbery, Kidnapping of Gucci Mane
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FOX 13 Memphis. Pooh Shiesty Among Several Arrested for Robbing, Kidnapping Other Rappers
5
The Commercial Appeal. Pooh Shiesty Dad Out on Bond, Gucci Mane Robbery Trial
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Courthouse News Service. Memphis Rappers Pooh Shiesty, Big30 Among 9 Charged in Dallas Music Studio Robbery, Kidnapping
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FOX 13 Memphis. Pooh Shiesty’s Family Home Searched by FBI Agents
8
CourtListener. United States v. Williams Sr., 2:26-mj-00007
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WREG. USA v. Lontrell Williams Sr., Decision to Stay Release
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Action News 5. Rapper Pooh Shiesty’s Father to Be Released From Federal Custody, Judge Rules
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FOX 13 Memphis. Pooh Shiesty to Remain in Custody After Judge Denies Bond
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FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth. Rappers Pooh Shiesty, Big30 Among 9 Charged in Violent Dallas Music Studio Robbery, Kidnapping
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WREG. Pooh Shiesty’s Father, Big30 Plead Not Guilty in Gucci Mane Kidnap Case