Pooh Shiesty, Eight Others Charged After Forcing Gucci Mane to Sign Contract at Gunpoint

Nine people, including rapper Pooh Shiesty and his own father, have been federally charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping after allegedly forcing Gucci Mane at gunpoint to sign a recording contract release, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Federal prosecutors say Shiesty, whose legal name is Lontrell Denell Williams Jr., arranged the January 10 meeting at a Dallas recording studio under false pretenses, telling Gucci Mane and two other industry professionals it was a legitimate contract discussion. Once the three victims flew into Dallas, Shiesty allegedly drew an AK-style pistol and forced Gucci Mane, identified only as "R.D." in the criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Texas, to sign the release at gunpoint. Prosecutors allege Shiesty "was upset with the terms of his recording contract."

While the signing took place, eight co-conspirators drew firearms and began robbing the others present. One victim was pushed onto a couch and stripped of his wallet and jewelry. Another was choked to the point of near-unconsciousness and robbed of a Rolex watch, a Louis Vuitton bag, and other valuables. Victims reportedly believed at one point they were about to be executed. Rodney Lamont Wright Jr., known as Big30, a childhood friend of Shiesty signed to Moneybagg Yo's Bread Gang label rather than 1017, is accused of barricading the studio door to prevent escape.

A contract release from 1017 Records, an Atlantic Records imprint Gucci Mane founded in 2007, would affect masters ownership, future royalty streams, and Shiesty's freedom to record and tour without label approval, making the document itself a high-value financial instrument. The conspiracy to commit kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

The government's evidentiary case is extensive. Electronic monitoring data placed Shiesty at the studio in violation of his federal home confinement, a condition of his early release from prison on October 6, 2025, six months ahead of his original scheduled release date, after serving roughly three years of a 63-month sentence for a Florida firearms and drug conspiracy. License plate readers tracked multiple defendants driving from Memphis to Dallas. Surveillance footage documented activity at the studio and a nearby hotel where several defendants stayed. Latent fingerprints from two defendants were recovered at the scene. An AirTag inside one stolen wallet was later tracked to a parking lot adjacent to the apartment of Lontrell Williams Sr., Shiesty's father, who is accused of helping plan the operation and renting the vehicle the group drove from Tennessee to Texas.

Eight defendants were arrested April 1 in coordinated operations across Dallas, Memphis, and Nashville while the FBI simultaneously executed a search warrant at Shiesty's Memphis-area home. The ninth suspect remained at large as of Thursday. The other named defendants are Kedarius Waters, Terrance Rodgers, Damarian Gipson, Demarcus Glover, Kordae Johnson, and Darrion McDaniel.

"The victims in this case came to Dallas to conduct legitimate business and they were met with firearms and violence," U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould of the Northern District of Texas said Thursday. "For anyone contemplating using violence and intimidation as a business practice, I'm here to tell you that this office will hold you accountable."

Gucci Mane, born Radric Delantic Davis, launched 1017 Records as a talent pipeline that produced Young Thug, Waka Flocka Flame, and Chief Keef. Shiesty signed there in 2020 and moved fast commercially: his debut mixtape Shiesty Season debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in February 2021, and "Back in Blood" featuring Lil Durk reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 5x Platinum certification. That commercial weight made his contract terms consequential for both parties. The method prosecutors say he chose to resolve the dispute has placed nine people, including his own father, in line for a potential life sentence.