• Pooh Shiesty faces a federal detention hearing in Dallas on Wednesday to determine if he will remain in custody on kidnapping and robbery charges.
• The Memphis rapper allegedly robbed Gucci Mane at gunpoint during a January recording session, using an AK-style pistol to demand a release from his record contract.
• Release on bond is unlikely, according to legal experts, as federal investigators claim the crime was committed while Pooh Shiesty was wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor.
• Nine individuals, including Pooh Shiesty, his father Lontrell Williams Sr., and rapper BIG30, face charges in the alleged armed robbery and kidnapping at a Dallas music studio.
• The group is accused of stealing watches, jewelry, and cash from Gucci Mane and his associates.
DALLAS, Texas — Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty will appear in federal court in Dallas on Wednesday. The hearing will determine whether he will be released from federal custody following last week’s kidnapping and robbery arrest.
Lontrell Williams Jr., whose rap name is Pooh Shiesty, his father Lontrell Williams Sr., rapper BIG30, and six other defendants were charged with kidnapping and robbery in connection with an incident that happened back in January at a Dallas recording studio.
Federal authorities have charged nine individuals, including prominent Memphis rappers Lontrell Williams Jr., known as “Pooh Shiesty,” and Rodney Wright Jr., known as “BIG30,” in connection with the violent armed robbery and kidnapping of three people at a Dallas music studio.
Williams Jr. had a recording deal with Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane under The New 1017 Records label. The FBI said Williams Jr. set up a meeting with Gucci Mane in Dallas, and then held him at gunpoint with an AK-style pistol while demanding to be released from his contract.
Federal investigators said they were able to track Williams Jr. from his ankle monitor. He was supposed to be on home confinement for a 2022 federal case of conspiracy and drug trafficking. The group is also accused of stealing watches, jewelry, and cash from Gucci Mane and his associates.
On Monday, a federal judge in Memphis granted bond to Williams Sr. and planned to release him to home confinement. But the United States Attorney in North Texas protested and filed a motion to try to keep him in custody.
An attorney representing Williams Jr. said they are looking forward to Wednesday’s hearing. “We will have his detention and probable cause hearing tomorrow. We expect to contest those and we are looking forward to finding out more details we don’t think the complaint reveals,” attorney John Helms said in a statement.
Former federal prosecutor Richard Roper, who is not associated with the case, offered insight on the alleged crime. “From the complaint, it looks like the government’s got a strong case because after they robbed these victim rappers, stole their jewelry and other property, and after they forced one of the rappers to sign a release of a contract, they then posted on social media the fruits of their theft,” Roper said.
Roper also commented on the possibility of release on bond. “The judge has the discretion to do that, but once he finds that he violated the conditions of release, the federal law set up so that it’s very, very unlikely that a defendant would be released under that circumstance especially when the allegations involve the threatening use of a firearm,” he said.
The information comes from court filings, attorney statements, and comments from the former prosecutor.
As the federal court in Dallas prepares to hear arguments on Pooh Shiesty’s custody status, the case highlights the serious allegations surrounding the January incident and the challenges of release for defendants accused of committing new crimes while under court supervision.