Rapper Pooh Shiesty and his father have been arrested by the FBI after agents raided the family’s Memphis home Wednesday morning.
The 26-year-old artist, whose real name is Lontrell D. Williams Jr., was arrested in Dallas, Texas, and booked in connection with a federal criminal case. His father, also Lontrell Williams, was arrested in Memphis.
In a press conference Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould said that Williams Jr. and his father were two of nine individuals accused of kidnapping and robbing “at gunpoint numerous victims at a music studio in Dallas,” including fellow rapper Gucci Mane.
“Eight of the nine were arrested yesterday in Dallas, Memphis and Nashville,” Raybould said, noting that the ninth individual “has not been arrested yet but will be soon.”
“The complaint alleges that on January 10th of this year, three musical industry professionals traveled to Dallas for a scheduled business meeting. Lontrell Williams Jr. arranged this meeting, purportedly to discuss the terms of his recording contract with one of his victims,” he continued.
“As alleged, once these three men were inside the recording studio, Williams Jr. and eight co-conspirators, several of whom traveled from Memphis, Tennessee, executed a coordinated armed takeover. As alleged, Williams Jr. produced an AK-style pistol and forced one of the victims to sign a release from the recording contract at gunpoint,” Raybould said, calling Williams Jr. the “ringleader of the conspiracy.”
“The remaining conspirators displayed firearms and robbed the other victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, cash, and other high-value items.”
The Independent has contacted Williams Jr.’s representative and the FBI for comment.
The latest development comes after reports that the FBI executed a “search and arrest warrant” at the property in Cordova, Tennessee.
Records on the Shelby County Assessor’s website list the homeowner as Lontrell Williams, the shared name of Williams Jr. and his father.
The rapper previously spent three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to firearms and drug charges in April 2022. He was originally sentenced to 63 months, but was released in October 2025 on good behavior.
Williams Jr. was arrested in June 2021 for his involvement in three firearm and drug conspiracies, including an incident in May 2021 when he allegedly assaulted a victim with a firearm at a Miami strip club.
As part of his plea deal, three other charges were dropped, and he was given a lesser prison sentence.
Upon his release, he was moved to a residential reentry facility in Dallas, where he is expected to remain until April 11, a spokesperson from the Federal Bureau of Prisons told MassLive in January.
Born and raised in Memphis, Williams Jr. first rose to fame in 2020 when he was signed to Gucci Mane’s record label, 1017 Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. That same year, he released “Back in Blood,” his first major single, which reached No. 13 on the Billboard charts.
Following his 2025 release, Williams Jr. dropped several new songs, including “FDO” — an acronym for “first day out” in reference to his return home.
He has since continued promoting the track, with his most recent Instagram post from March 11 featuring a series of photos and a video clip from a recent visit to a Mercedes-Benz dealership to purchase a new car in celebration of the song’s success.
“FDO Went #1 So It’s Only Right I Pop It @mrbenzness showed real love,” he wrote in the caption. “I appreciate it x10 tap in with em asap if you tryna get right.”
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