Nine Men, including Well Known Musical Artists, Federally Charged for Kidnapping at Music Studio in Dallas

Memphis, TN - This week, nine individuals - including well known musical artists-were federally charged for kidnapping and robbing at gunpoint numerous victims at a music studio in Dallas, Texas, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.

Eight of the nine were arrested yesterday in Dallas, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee. The charged defendants include:

Lontrell Williams. Jr., aka "Pooh Shiesty"
Lontrell Williams, Sr.
Rodney Wright, Jr., aka "Big30"
Kedarius Waters
Terrance Rodgers
Damarian Gipson
Demarcus Glover
Kordae Johnson
Darrion McDaniel

"As alleged, nine defendants travelled to Dallas, Texas, to kidnap and rob victims who thought they were coming into town for a business meeting. Instead of discussing business in a civil matter, the defendants resorted to violence and intimidation to achieve their purported business objectives," said Ryan Raybould, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. "For anyone contemplating using violence and intimidation as a business practice, I'm here to tell you that it will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted in the Northern District of Texas. This case also highlights the outstanding contributions of my colleagues across the United States, including in the Western District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, and the Eastern District of Texas, as well as the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and our state and local partners."

"The Western District of Tennessee employs a whole team concept with federal, state, and local partners to aggressively pursue all violent criminals who dare to commit crime or seek safe haven within our jurisdiction. Here, agents from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, strongly supported by Task Force Officers from the Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Desoto County Sheriff's Office, and aviation assets from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, brought these violent criminals to justice and put them behind bars. These defendants will be transported to the Northern District of Texas to face their crimes," said D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.

"Strong partnerships with local law enforcement are key to reducing violent crime. The collaboration of multiple agencies ensured the successful arrest of several individuals in both Texas and Tennessee. The FBI remains dedicated to investigating violent offenders and holding them accountable," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock.

The complaint alleges that on January 10 of this year, three music 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 the victims.

As alleged, once these three men were inside the studio, Williams Jr. and eight co-conspirators, several of whom traveled from Memphis, executed a coordinated armed takeover.

The complaint alleges that Williams Jr. produced an AK-style pistol and forced one of the victims to sign a release from the recording contract at gunpoint. The remaining conspirators displayed firearms and robbed the other victims of Rolex watches, jewelry, cash, and other high-value items.

One victim was choked to the point of near unconsciousness. Photos of some of his injuries were included in the complaint:

Photos of injuries sustained to the wrist and neck of one victim

Defendant Wright barricaded the studio door with his body to prevent the victims from escaping.

Court records reflect that Lontrell Williams, Jr., or Pooh Shiesty, was on home confinement for a prior firearms conspiracy conviction out of the Southern District of Florida. Part of the terms of his home detention were that he could not commit other criminal offenses or possess firearms. His father, Lontrell Williams Sr., is alleged to have helped plan and execute the federal kidnapping.

As described in the complaint, within hours of leaving the Dallas studio, the defendants added posts on social media, displaying what appeared to be some of the stolen jewelry, depicted in the photographs from the complaint:

Screenshot of video posted from Rodgers' social media account depicted a Rolex believed to be stolen in the robbery

Screenshots from Glover's social media account depicting him wearing purportedly stolen jewelry

As outlined in the complaint, some of the evidence establishing the defendants' roles in the federal offense includes:

• Electronic monitoring data placing Williams Jr. at the offense location in violation of his home detention conditions;
• Cell phone records and license plate reader data corroborating the coordinated travel of multiple defendants from Memphis to Dallas;
• Rental car records confirming Williams Sr. rented a vehicle used by the group;
• Surveillance footage from the offense location, a nearby office supply store, and a hotel where several defendants stayed following the offense;
• Latent fingerprints recovered from the crime scene matching two defendants;
• Social media posts by defendants displaying what appears to be stolen property in the days following the offense; and
• Greyhound Bus records confirming the travel of multiple defendants from Dallas to Memphis the day after the offense.

If convicted, each defendant faces a sentence of up to life imprisonment.

The FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI's Memphis Resident Agency and Nashville Field Office, the Memphis Safe Task Force, the Dallas Police Department, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Claire Demers and Robert Withers of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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