Judge orders rapper accused of robbing, kidnapping Gucci Mane to remain in custody

Editor’s note: The video above is from previous coverage.

DALLAS (AP/Atlanta News First) — A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday ordered a man accused of robbing and kidnapping legendary Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane to remain in custody.

At a news conference last week, the U.S. attorney’s office in North Texas said rappers Pooh Shiesty and Big30 allegedly robbed and kidnapped Gucci Mane, whose real name is Radric Davis, in January.

Pooh Shiesty, whose real name is Lontrell Williams Jr., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver for a hearing in Dallas on Wednesday, during which the judge ordered him to remain jailed.

Besides Pooh Shiesty and Big30, whose real name is Rodney Wright Jr., prosecutors have also charged seven others over the January confrontation at a music studio, where the victims were allegedly held at gunpoint and robbed.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gucci Mane allegedly robbed, kidnapped by Memphis rappers

“I find that the weight of the evidence against you is strong,” Toliver told Pooh Shiesty during the hearing.

She noted that the rapper had a criminal history and had violated a home confinement order following a prior firearms conspiracy conviction in Florida.

During the hearing, Bradford Cohen, the rapper’s attorney, raised questions about much of the prosecution’s evidence. “The FBI doesn’t take three months to arrest someone if they believe everything that was said the night that it occurred,” Cohen said.

Prosecutors have accused the rapper, who was arrested last week, of arranging the music studio meeting in Dallas to discuss the terms of his contract with 1017 Records, Gucci Mane’s label.

According to an affidavit attached to a criminal complaint, Pooh Shiesty had asked to speak with the record label owner privately in a recording room. He then allegedly produced contract termination paperwork and pulled out what appeared to be an AK-style pistol while forcing the label owner to sign.

The rapper then took the man’s wedding ring, watch, earrings and cash, according to the affidavit.

Pooh Shiesty is from Memphis, Tennessee, but he is believed to have been recently living in a high-rise apartment in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, according to the affidavit. Several of the defendants traveled from Memphis to Dallas ahead of the meeting, according to the affidavit.

Gucci Mane is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta rappers T.I. and Jeezy. He emerged in the mid-2000s with his breakout single “Icy” and went on to build a vast catalog.