A Dallas federal judge ruled Wednesday that rapper Pooh Shiesty must remain in custody on kidnapping charges linked to an armed confrontation at a music studio.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver ordered Lontrell Williams Jr., who performs as Pooh Shiesty, held following a hearing.
Prosecutors have accused him of pulling a gun during a January contract dispute involving 1017 Records, the label owned by rapper Gucci Mane, whose legal name is Radric Delantic Davis, as The Dallas Express reported. Eight others face charges in the incident, where victims were allegedly robbed at gunpoint.
“I find that the weight of the evidence against you is strong,” Toliver told Pooh Shiesty, CBS News Texas reported. She cited his criminal history and violation of a home confinement order after a prior firearms conspiracy conviction in Florida.
No other hearings were scheduled as of Thursday morning, according to court records.
Pooh Shiesty, arrested last week, allegedly arranged the Dallas studio meeting to discuss his 1017 Records contract. The affidavit states he requested a private talk with the label owner in a recording room, then produced contract termination papers and drew what appeared to be an AK-style pistol to force a signature. He then took the victim’s wedding ring, watch, earrings, and cash, the affidavit alleges.
Bradford Cohen, the rapper’s attorney, questioned the prosecution’s evidence at the hearing.
“The FBI doesn’t take three months to arrest someone if they believe everything that was said on the night that it occurred,” Cohen said, per CBS.
Pooh Shiesty hails from Memphis, Tennessee, but recently lived in a Frisco high-rise apartment, per the affidavit. Several defendants traveled from Memphis to Dallas for the meeting.
Gucci Mane, born Radric Delantic Davis, counts among trap music pioneers with Atlanta rappers T.I. and Jeezy. He rose in the mid-2000s via his single “Icy” and amassed a large catalog.
