On Wednesday, federal authorities arrested Memphis rap stars Pooh Shiesty and Big30, as well as a number of other men, charging them with robbery and kidnapping. As TMZ reports, the Justice Department, claim that Pooh Shiesty, Big30, and their associates invaded a Dallas recording studio in January, robbing a number of people on the premises, including Gucci Mane.
Pooh Shiesty (whose real name is Lontrell Williams Jr.) and Big30 (whose real name is Rodney Wright Jr.), both 26 years old, are among nine suspects in the incident. Another suspect is Shiesty's father, Lontrell Williams Sr. Eight of them were arrested on Wednesday. Authorities accuse Shiesty of arranging a Jan. 10 meeting with Gucci and other music business figures.
Allegedly, Shiesty set the meeting up, supposedly to discuss the terms of his contract, and then he and the other defendants "executed a coordinated armed takeover," per a DOJ spokesman. Shiesty is accused of forcing one of his victims to sign a contract release at gunpoint, and he and the others are also accused of robbing the victims of cash and jewelry. WFAA reports that one of the victims was also "choked during the robbery to the point of near unconsciousness," according to the DOJ. Big30 is accused of blocking the door to prevent escape. The FBI raided Pooh Shiesty's Memphis home on Wednesday.
Pooh Shiesty signed to Gucci Mane's 1017 label in 2020, and he quickly rose to fame with the success of songs like the octuple platinum Lil Durk collab "Back In Blood." His mixtape Shiesty Season came out in 2021. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to firearms conspiracy charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. He served three years and was released last October, and his comeback single "FDO" debuted at #12 on the Hot 100. At the time of the alleged robbery and kidnapping, he was under home detention.
