ATL Rapper Gucci Mane Kidnapped, Robbed In TX Studio; 9 Arrested

ATLANTA, GA — Federal authorities say they have arrested a ninth man in connection with the suspected kidnapping and robbery of Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane and two others at a Texas recording studio.

The FBI Atlanta office on Friday said its Violent Crime Squad arrested Terrance Rodgers on Thursday in connection with the incident.

Gucci Mane, a Grammy-nominated rapper whose real name is Radric Davis and who grew up in East Atlanta, was one of three people to be kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint on Jan. 10 at a Dallas, Texas music studio, according to the federal complaint obtained by Patch.

Though Davis is not specifically identified in the complaint, he was named by the FBI Atlanta office. The complaint states one of the victims has the initials, R.D.

What Happened?

Davis, head of music label The New 1017 Records, traveled with two other men to Dallas for a scheduled business meeting arranged by Lontrell "Pooh Sheisty" Williams, Jr., according to the U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Texas.

Williams Jr. is a mainstream rapper known for multiple rap songs, including "Back in Blood," and had been signed to The New 1017 Records for six years at the time of the incident.

Federal prosecutors say Williams Jr. set the meeting to discuss the terms of his contract; however, once the three men were inside the studio, prosecutors say Williams Jr. and eight others from Memphis "executed a coordinated armed takeover."

Williams Jr. was accused of pulling out an AK-style pistol and forcing one of the three men to sign a release from the recording contract.

Prosecutors say Williams' co-conspirators also pulled out guns and robbed the other men of Rolex watches, jewelry, cash and other expensive items.

One man was choked until he neared unconsciousness, while another man suffered wrist and neck injuries, prosecutors said.

Rodney "Big30" Wright, Jr., who musically collaborated with Williams Jr., was accused of barricading the studio door with his body in efforts to stop the men from leaving.

Hours after the defendants left the studio, prosecutors said they showed some of the stolen jewelry in social media posts.

Rodgers' was accused of posting a video which allegedly showed a Rolex believed to have been stolen during the robbery.

On defendant Demarcus Glover's social media, prosecutors said posts appeared to show him wearing the stolen jewelry.

Lontrell Williams Sr., the father of Williams Jr., was accused of helping to plan and carry out the suspected kidnapping.

The youngest Williams was on house arrest following a prior gun conspiracy conviction in the Southern District of Florida, prosecutors said. Under the terms of his house arrest, prosecutors said he cannot have guns or commit criminal offenses.

Prosecutors say evidence in the case included:

• Electronic monitoring data placing Williams Jr. at the studio 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 studio, 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.

Attorney John Helms, representing Williams Jr., refuted the claims of federal prosecutors. Helms told the Dallas Morning News the incident was more complicated than authorities indicated.

“The government tries to characterize this as a dispute over money between Lontrell and his record label, but in this business, things are very often not what they seem, and people’s motivations are very often not what they seem,” Helms reportedly said Friday.

In full, aside from Rodgers, the following eight men were arrested Wednesday in either Dallas or Memphis:

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

They face up to life in prison, if convicted in the case, prosecutors said.

Snapshot Of Gucci Mane's Career

Since officially debuting in 2005, Davis has had 36 songs to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2016, he featured on Rae Sremmuurd's "Black Beatles," which spent seven weeks at No. 1.

Davis' other hit songs include "Wasted," "Lemonade," "Photo Shoot" and "Icy." His 2019 collaboration with singer Lizzo on "Exactly How I Feel" notched a Grammy Award nomination in the Best R&B Performance.

The New 1017 Records was established in 2007 originally under the name, 1017 Brick Squad, according to Vibe. The label has undergone multiple name changes since then, and Williams Jr. reportedly signed with Davis in 2020.

Davis has not yet publicly commented on the incident.