Rapper Pooh Shiesty and his father were reportedly arrested by the FBI on federal kidnapping and robbery charges involving music executive Gucci Mane.
The rapper — whose real name is Lontrell D. Williams Jr. — was arrested in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, and booked in connection to a federal criminal case, law enforcement sources told TMZ.
While that was happening, the “Federal Contraband” singer’s father, Lontrell Williams Sr., was also arrested in Memphis, Tennessee.
Gucci Mane was the victim of a kidnapping and robbery plot by Pooh Shiesty, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas obtained by NBC News.
Pooh Shiesty — who was signed to Gucci Mane’s label, 1017 Records, earlier this year — allegedly asked to meet with the “Lemonade” rapper because he was “upset with the terms of his contract” and wanted to be released, according to the criminal complaint unsealed on Thursday.
On January 10, Pooh Shiesty, his father, and another artist met with Gucci Mane at a music studio in Dallas, where an argument transpired, resulting in the 26-year-old rapper telling the artist to bring him his bag, the complaint said.
Pooh Shiesty then “pulled what appeared to be a black AK-style pistol from the bag” and pointed it at Gucci Mane, demanding that the “Big Booty” rapper sign the papers to release him from his contract, authorities said.
At that point, Gucci Mane signed the paperwork while Pooh Shiesty’s father and the other unnamed artist stood by, the complaint added.
Officials also noted that during this time, Pooh Shiesty was wearing an ankle monitor because he was on house arrest — having recently been released from federal prison following a more than five-year sentence in connection to a 2020 shooting in Florida.
The ankle monitor data — as well as surveillance footage from a nearby building — helped authorities place the “See Red” rapper at the location of the incident.
After the three men left, six others from their group — who were referred to by initials in the criminal complaint — allegedly armed themselves and demanded “property” from people in the music studio.
One individual, who was identified as “M.M.” in the complaint, had a Rolex watch, wallet, Apple Airpods, and a Louis Vuitton bag, and was apparently “choked from behind to the point of nearly losing consciousness.”
The victims, meanwhile, were blocked from leaving the studio — after one of the armed men allegedly barricaded them — and believed “they were going to be executed,” the complaint said.
Pooh Shiesty, his father, the other artist, and the six other individuals — who were later identified via surveillance footage as they made their getaway — are all facing federal charges in relation to kidnapping and robbery at gunpoint.
Each individual faces a potential life sentence in prison if convicted, NBC News reported.
Ryan Raybould, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, described the men as having “resorted to violence and intimidation to achieve their purported business objectives.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
