Federal prosecutors allege that rapper Pooh Shiesty and eight co-defendants held Gucci Mane at gunpoint at a Dallas recording studio in January.
Rapper Pooh Shiesty is facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. Federal prosecutors have charged the Memphis-born artist and eight co-defendants in connection with the alleged armed kidnapping and robbery of hip-hop star Gucci Mane at a Dallas recording studio earlier this year, just six months after Shiesty was released from federal prison on a previous firearms conviction.
What prosecutors allege happened
According to the Department of Justice, Shiesty, born Lontrell Williams Jr., and his alleged crew executed what authorities describe as an armed takeover at a Dallas recording studio in January. Prosecutors allege that Gucci Mane and members of his entourage arrived believing they were attending a routine business meeting, only to find themselves held at gunpoint.
Federal investigators allege that Shiesty brandished an AK-style pistol and forced Gucci Mane to sign documents releasing the younger rapper from his recording contract with 1017 Records, the label Mane founded and to which Shiesty had been signed since 2020. During the incident, Shiesty and his alleged associates also reportedly stole Rolex watches, jewelry and cash from Mane and his colleagues. One victim was allegedly choked during the ordeal. Court documents indicate that those present believed at points during the encounter that they might be killed.
Surveillance footage obtained by federal investigators and included alongside the indictment appears to show the group of suspects entering the building where the studio is located. One suspect is seen in the footage leaving and returning with a duffel bag, which prosecutors allege contained the AK-47 used during the robbery.
đ¨ BREAKING: Pooh Shiesty allegedly kidnapping Gucci Mane caught on surveillance pic.twitter.com/WlGXjmBqQ3
â TMZ (@TMZ) April 3, 2026
Arrests made across three states
Eight of the nine suspects named in the federal indictment have been arrested, with law enforcement agencies conducting operations in Dallas, Memphis and Nashville this week. Shiesty was taken into custody by the FBI in Dallas. His family home in Memphis was raided during the same operation, and his father, Lontrell Williams Sr., was also arrested. Williams Sr. has since been assigned a $250,000 bond and placed under house arrest.
A ninth suspect believed to be connected to the case remains at large and is thought to be in the state of Georgia, according to investigators. U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould has noted that in the hours following the alleged attack, several of the defendants reportedly posted photos on social media appearing to show stolen jewelry.
What Shiestyâs legal team is saying
Shiesty is currently represented by two attorneys. Bradford Cohen, one of the lawyers on the case, has said he identified inconsistencies in the indictment that the defense intends to raise at future hearings, adding that Shiesty is prepared to hold the government to its burden of proof.
Dallas-based attorney John Helms, who joined the legal team at the onset of the case, has suggested that federal prosecutors are presenting an overly simplified version of what took place. Helms described his client as talented and successful, and indicated that the underlying dispute between Shiesty and 1017 Records involves layers of complexity that the governmentâs version does not fully capture. Rumors had been circulating for months before the arrest that Shiesty was seeking to exit his contract with the label.
What Shiesty faces if convicted
The federal charges of kidnapping and armed robbery carry severe penalties. If convicted, Shiesty and his co-defendants could face life imprisonment. The severity of the charges is compounded by the fact that at the time of the alleged robbery in January, Shiesty was reportedly still subject to house arrest conditions stemming from his earlier firearms conviction, from which he had only been released six months prior to the arrest this week.
What comes next
The case is expected to move through the federal court system over the coming months, with the defense having indicated it will wait for full discovery before making more detailed arguments. Representatives for both Gucci Mane and Pooh Shiesty have not issued public statements addressing the allegations. As the legal process unfolds, the case has already sparked significant conversation across the music industry about the circumstances surrounding the dispute between the two artists and what the indictment reveals about tensions within 1017 Records.