Earlier this year, a Dallas music studio was the site of a high-profile armed robbery, and on Thursday, federal prosecutors disclosed the details of the crime.
The suspected ringleader of the incident was a Memphis rapper who had been released from federal prison for less than three months. The victim of the robbery was one of the most infamous rappers to emerge from Atlanta.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for North Texas held a press conference on Thursday announcing the arrests of nine people, including rappers Lontrell Denell Williams Jr., known as Pooh Shiesty, and Rodney Lamont Wright Jr., known as Big30, in connection with the alleged kidnapping and robbery of Atlanta rapper Radric Davis, better known as Gucci Mane, and two other individuals.
Attorney Ryan Rayboul said at the press conference that eight of the nine suspects have been taken into custody across Dallas, Memphis, and Nashville.
According to the DOJ, Williams Jr. arranged what appeared to be a routine business meeting at the Dallas recording studio, allegedly to discuss the terms of a recording contract with one of the victims.
Once the three rappers were inside the studio, prosecutors say Williams Jr. and eight co-conspirators sprang into action. Williams Jr. allegedly pulled out a pistol and forced one of the victims to sign a release from a recording contract – tying him to 1017 Records – at gunpoint. The remaining co-conspirators then robbed the other victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, and cash. One victim was reportedly choked to the point of near unconsciousness.
Williams Jr. has an extensive criminal history. He was on home confinement at the time of the alleged crime spree for a prior firearms charge and conviction in Florida, with terms that specifically prohibited him from committing another federal offense or possessing a firearm. He had been released from federal prison in October 2025 after serving roughly three years of a five-year sentence for a case that originated from the 2020 robbery and shooting in Miami.
The Gucci Mane connection carries its own irony: Pooh Shiesty first rose to prominence on Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records, with the hit “Back in Blood” helping launch his career before his legal troubles derailed it. Davis himself also has a long rap sheet, which includes a prison stint back for a federal gun charge of his own back in 2013.
Prosecutors described Williams Jr. as the “ringleader of the conspiracy” and said they have electronic evidence placing him at the location of the crime, along with cell phone records and license plate photos connecting the group’s travel from Tennessee to Dallas. Fingerprint evidence recovered at the crime scene also reportedly matches at least two defendants.
Additionally, Williams Jr.’s father was arrested at the family’s home in Tennessee during an FBI raid earlier this week. DOJ prosecutors say car rental records show Williams Sr. rented the car used in connection with the crime.
