Gucci Mane was allegedly kidnapped and robbed during a “coordinated armed takeover” of a Dallas music studio where fellow rapper Pooh Shiesty allegedly brandished an AK-style pistol and forced the rap mogul to sign a document releasing Shiesty from his recording contract, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
In a criminal complaint filed in Dallas federal court and obtained by Rolling Stone, prosecutors allege Sheisty, born Lontrell Williams Jr., “was upset with the terms of his [recording] contract” and set up a meeting with Mane, whose legal name is Radric Davis, to discuss the matter. The complaint identifies Mane by his initials, R.D., and describes him as the head of 1017, the label that signed Williams Jr. in 2021.
During the afternoon meeting on Jan. 10, 2026, Williams Jr. and eight men who traveled with him from Memphis allegedly flashed guns and robbed victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, cash, a Louis Vuitton bag, and a wallet fitted with an Apple AirTag, prosecutors said. One co-defendant, Memphis rapper Big30, allegedly fetched a different bag with the AK-style pistol inside for Williams Jr., then pulled out a phone and recorded Davis as he signed paperwork “releasing” Williams Jr. from his contract.
Prosecutors say Williams Jr. then took Davis’ wedding ring, watch, earrings, and cash. Big30, whose legal name is Rodney Lamont Wright Jr., allegedly blocked the exit, trapping multiple victims inside the studio. One victim was “choked from behind to the point of nearly losing consciousness,” according to the complaint, which includes photos showing scratches on the man’s neck and wrist.
Another alleged member of Williams’ entourage, co-defendant Terrance Rodgers, purportedly posted a video on social media afterwards wearing what prosecutors say is a Rolex stolen in the robbery. Another co-defendant, Demarcus Glover, allegedly shared images of himself wearing jewelry purportedly taken from a victim at the studio.
Williams Jr.’s longtime criminal lawyer, Bradford Cohen, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Attempts to reach representatives for Wright and Davis were not immediately successful.
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Prosecutors say they have a trove of evidence tying Williams Jr. to the crime, including electronic monitoring data from his ankle monitor, which purportedly places him at the studio in violation of his home detention conditions. Williams Jr. was released from prison last October after serving three years for a gun charge out of Miami. In that case, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence and drug trafficking. He had been released to home detention and was barred from possessing a firearm at the time of the alleged January kidnapping and robbery.
Prosecutors say license plate reader data shows multiple defendants traveling together from Memphis to Dallas. Rental car records indicate that Williams’s father, Lontrell Williams Sr., rented a vehicle used by the group. Williams Sr. allegedly was part of the group at the studio and was charged in the complaint.
Authorities say surveillance footage from the crime scene, a nearby office supply store, and a hotel where several defendants stayed also helped lead to the charges and arrests. Latent fingerprints recovered from the scene matched two defendants, they claim, and the last location for the AirTag attached to the stolen wallet was a parking lot next to where Williams Sr. currently has a leased apartment where Williams Jr. is believed to reside.
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Williams Jr. was arrested by authorities on Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. All nine defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
“Nine defendants travelled to Dallas, Texas, to kidnap and rob victims who thought they were coming into town for a business meeting. Instead of discussing business in a civil matter, the defendants resorted to violence and intimidation to achieve their purported business objectives,” Ryan Raybould, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said in a statement. “For anyone contemplating using violence and intimidation as a business practice, I’m here to tell you that it will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted in the Northern District of Texas.”
