Prosecutors say the Jan. 10 meeting was set up as a contract discussion but became an armed robbery involving Gucci Mane and two other music industry figures.
DALLAS, TX — Federal prosecutors say rapper Pooh Shiesty and eight other men were charged after a Jan. 10 meeting at a Dallas recording studio turned into an armed kidnapping and robbery of three music industry professionals, including rapper and label owner Gucci Mane.
The case matters now because prosecutors say the meeting was not a street encounter or chance dispute but a planned attack tied to a business conflict over Shiesty’s recording deal with 1017 Records, Gucci Mane’s label. Court papers say the group used guns, blocked the victims from leaving and forced one man to sign contract release papers at gunpoint. Eight of the nine defendants were arrested this week in Texas and Tennessee, and the charges carry potential penalties of up to life in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, the three victims traveled to Dallas on Jan. 10 for what they believed would be a business meeting about the terms of Shiesty’s contract. Prosecutors say Lontrell Williams Jr., the Memphis rapper known as Pooh Shiesty, arranged the session. Once the men entered the studio, authorities say, Williams and eight co-defendants carried out what the Justice Department called a coordinated armed takeover. Prosecutors allege Williams pulled an AK-style pistol and forced one victim to sign a release from the recording contract. Other men in the room then displayed firearms, took watches, jewelry, cash and other valuables, and kept the victims from escaping. U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in announcing the charges that the defendants “resorted to violence and intimidation” instead of handling a business disagreement through lawful means.
The complaint does not identify the three victims by full name, referring to them by initials, but one of them, listed as R.D., is described as the owner of 1017 Records. That label belongs to Gucci Mane, whose legal name is Radric Delantic Davis. Prosecutors have not accused any of the victims of wrongdoing. They say one victim was choked to the point of near unconsciousness, and photos of injuries to the victim’s wrist and neck were included with the complaint. Authorities also say one defendant, Rodney Wright Jr., the rapper known as Big30, used his body to barricade the studio door so the victims could not get out. The full account of what happened inside the studio will likely be tested in court. Defense responses were not detailed in the federal announcement, and several representatives for the artists had not publicly commented by Thursday night.
The allegations carry extra weight because of who prosecutors say was involved and how they say the group was tracked. Court records say Williams was on home confinement at the time because of an earlier federal firearms conspiracy conviction from the Southern District of Florida. Under the terms of that detention, prosecutors said, he was not allowed to commit new crimes or possess firearms. Investigators say electronic monitoring data placed him at the Dallas studio during the alleged attack. The Justice Department also says the investigation was backed by cell phone records, license plate reader data, rental car records, surveillance video from the studio and nearby locations, latent fingerprints from the scene, and bus travel records. Prosecutors say social media posts made within hours and days of the incident appeared to show some of the stolen jewelry, including a Rolex watch and other pieces investigators believe were taken during the robbery.
The federal filing names nine defendants: Williams; his father, Lontrell Williams Sr.; Wright; Kedarius Waters; Terrance Rodgers; Damarian Gipson; Demarcus Glover; Kordae Johnson; and Darrion McDaniel. Prosecutors say Williams Sr. helped plan and carry out the kidnapping and rented a vehicle used by members of the group. The Justice Department said eight of the nine defendants were arrested Wednesday in Dallas and Memphis. Its public statement said the defendants arrested in Tennessee would be transported to the Northern District of Texas to face the charges there. Reuters reported that seven other men were arrested along with Williams, while the Justice Department said eight of the nine defendants were taken into custody, leaving one not yet arrested as of Thursday. The criminal case was investigated by the FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force with help from offices and task forces in Memphis, Nashville and local police agencies.
The story also lands in a music business relationship that had already drawn attention long before this case. Pooh Shiesty became one of the best-known artists associated with Gucci Mane’s 1017 imprint during his rapid rise from Memphis. Prosecutors say the Dallas meeting was supposed to address the terms of that contract, making the alleged attack part of a dispute inside the industry rather than a random encounter. That detail helps explain why the complaint focuses not only on stolen property but also on the allegation that one victim was forced to sign release papers at gunpoint. In that sense, the case is about more than jewelry and cash. It is also about whether federal prosecutors can prove that violence was used to change a business relationship. The Justice Department said a complaint is only an allegation and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Williams’ earlier federal case adds another layer to what comes next. In 2022, he pleaded guilty in South Florida to a federal conspiracy charge tied to firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and drug trafficking. He later served prison time and, according to current court records, was on home confinement when the Dallas encounter took place. Prosecutors now say that status became evidence in the new case because the monitoring data placed him at the studio. If the federal allegations are sustained, that could expose him not only to punishment in the Dallas kidnapping case but also to consequences for violating the terms of his prior release. Prosecutors have not yet laid out a full public schedule for detention hearings, arraignments or future court dates. But they have said the defendants face charges that carry penalties of up to life imprisonment if they are convicted.
For Dallas investigators, the case appears to have turned on a mix of old-fashioned crime scene work and digital records. Officials say surveillance footage captured activity at the studio, a nearby office supply store and a hotel where several defendants stayed after the alleged offense. They also say license plate reader hits and phone data helped trace coordinated travel from Memphis to Dallas and back. Greyhound records, according to the complaint, showed some defendants traveling from Dallas to Memphis the day after the incident. FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said the arrests showed the value of joint work by local and federal agencies across state lines. The same point was echoed by D. Michael Dunavant, the U.S. attorney in West Tennessee, who said task force officers and supporting agencies worked together to bring the defendants into custody.
The federal case stood Thursday night at the charging stage, with prosecutors seeking to move the arrested defendants into court in North Texas and to continue pursuing the remaining accused man. The next milestone is expected to be initial appearances and detention proceedings in federal court, followed by a fuller public account of the charges and any pleas.
Author note: Last updated April 2, 2026.