What Happened to Lontrell Denell Williams Jr. (Pooh Shiesty)?

Lontrell Denell Williams Jr., known professionally as Pooh Shiesty, emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, to become a significant figure in the Southern hip-hop scene. His career gained substantial traction in April 2020 when he signed with fellow rapper Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. He quickly achieved mainstream success with his November 2020 single "Back in Blood" featuring Lil Durk, which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut mixtape, "Shiesty Season," released in February 2021, further solidified his presence, reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200.

However, Williams' rise was frequently overshadowed by legal challenges. In October 2020, he was arrested in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, in connection with a shooting and armed robbery. Though initially released on bond, he was arrested again in June 2021 for an alleged shooting at a Miami strip club. Facing multiple federal charges, including those that carried a potential life sentence, Williams ultimately pleaded guilty to a single federal conspiracy charge related to possessing firearms in furtherance of violent and drug-trafficking crimes in January 2022. In April 2022, he was sentenced to five years and three months (63 months) in federal prison.

After serving approximately three years of his sentence, Pooh Shiesty was released early from federal prison on October 6, 2025. His attorney, Bradford Cohen, expressed optimism about his comeback, and Williams quickly returned to music, releasing his single "FDO" (First Day Out) in December 2025, which debuted at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also announced plans for a new album to be released in Spring 2026.

Despite his early release and musical resurgence, Pooh Shiesty's legal troubles resurfaced dramatically in early 2026. On January 10, 2026, he allegedly orchestrated an armed robbery and kidnapping of Gucci Mane (Radric Davis) and his associates at a Dallas recording studio. Prosecutors claim Williams, along with his father and seven others, lured Gucci Mane to a meeting under the guise of discussing his recording contract, then used an AK-style pistol to force him to sign a release from his 1017 Records contract and robbed the victims of high-value items. Williams was on federal home confinement at the time of the alleged incident, a violation of his release terms.

He was arrested on April 1, 2026, in connection with these new charges. A federal judge in Dallas denied him bond on April 9, citing the weight of the evidence and his criminal history. On May 8, 2026, Pooh Shiesty pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and he remains in federal custody at the Kaufman County jail. His trial, alongside eight co-defendants, is currently scheduled to commence on July 6, 2026, in Dallas federal court, where he faces a potential life sentence if convicted.