Yet the judge still found probable cause.
𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐒, 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧. – The FBI agent took the stand. The defense attorney leaned in. And then came the question that has since echoed through federal courtrooms and rap blogs alike: Is there any hard evidence — video surveillance, a weapon, a direct threat — showing either man actually possessed a gun?
The agent said no.
“No hard evidence,” the FBI special agent testified. No video showing either man holding a firearm. No footage of anyone making a threat.
And yet, both men remain charged.
Rapper Big 30 has finally gotten a bond — $100,000. He must remain on home confinement, but he can still work. He can still hit the road, do shows, and keep his career moving. Pooh Shiesty’s father, Lantrell Williams Sr., also secured a bond. But the younger Williams — the rapper known as Pooh Shiesty — remains locked up, waiting for his own day in court.
“I ain’t never heard the feds come out and say that,” one commentator said. “I ain’t never heard them come out and say, ‘Hey y’all, we ain’t got no hard evidence on the boy. Only reason we got the boy is ’cause he on federal probation and he been thumbing his nose at ’em.’”
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The case began on January 10th in Dallas, Texas. What started as a sit-down meeting at a music studio turned into a violent armed takeover. Prosecutors say the meeting was arranged by Lantrell Williams Jr. — known to the world as Pooh Shiesty.
According to the Department of Justice, Shiesty was on house arrest for a previous firearms conviction related to drug trafficking when he allegedly led a group to rob and kidnap three people inside that Dallas recording studio. The motive? To get out of a record contract with rapper Gucci Mane’s label, 1017 Records.
“One of the victims was actually choked by one of the defendants to the point of near unconsciousness,” prosecutors said.
The criminal complaint tells a stunning story: Pooh Shiesty was upset with contract terms. Surveillance images show Shiesty, his father, and seven others before they enter the studio. Once inside, Shiesty allegedly pulled what appeared to be a black AK-style pistol, pointing it at the head of a victim labeled “R.D.” — whose initials match Gucci Mane’s legal name, Radric Davis. The victim was forced to sign contractual release paperwork. He complied.
Then the group allegedly robbed the victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, cash, and other high-value items.
But here is where the case gets complicated.
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In federal court in downtown Memphis, a special agent from the FBI — Marcelus Hobbs from the Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force — took the stand. Defense attorneys for Lantrell Williams Sr. and Ronnie Wright Jr. (known as rapper Big 30) asked Hobbs a key question: Is there any hard evidence like video surveillance showing either man possessing a gun or threatening anyone?
Hobbs said no.
He also testified that no concrete evidence was found in Wright’s car or Williams’ homes when they were arrested.
Even so, the judge ruled there is still probable cause for both men based on cell phone data, outside surveillance video, and victim statements that remain uncontested.
“This is a significant gap,” said Bradford Cohen, Pooh Shiesty’s attorney. “After the bond hearing on Mr. Williams Sr. and the testimony we reviewed, it appears that there is a significant gap in the statements made by the government and the actual evidence. As such, we have been reviewing those issues in anticipation of Mr. Williams Jr.’s bond hearing.”
Cohen added that they are still evaluating the alleged evidence against his client.
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The original court documents, however, contained a crucial caveat. Prosecutors stated explicitly that everything they have given to the public is not all of the information pertaining to this case. They wrote that all of the facts have not been presented at this time. What they provided was enough for probable cause — nothing more.
“All of the facts aren’t there,” one legal observer noted. “You have to realize you’re dealing with the feds. A lot of people that are associated with law enforcement can lie to your ass. So with them saying that they don’t have video footage of this and that could be the truth, but it also could be a lie.”
The defense has seized on that gap. If no video shows Big 30 or Williams Sr. holding a weapon, how can they be charged with armed kidnapping? The government’s response has been simple: cell phone data, outside surveillance, and victim statements.
But the victims — including Gucci Mane — have not been publicly named in the charging documents. The court files refer only to initials: R.D., J.W., and D.W.
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