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Pooh Shiesty lost a key attorney before he faces trial over his robbery and kidnapping case.
On Tuesday, April 28, Bradford Cohen announced that he had exited the legal team just a few weeks after the Memphis native was arrested. Cohen said he still believes Pooh Shiesty has a solid case and alleges that there are some holes in the Department of Justice's accusations against him. However, he will be replaced by Texas-based attorneys Dan Cogdell and Kent Schaffer. John M. Helms Jr., another Dallas criminal defense lawyer who's been on the case since the beginning, will remain on the team.
“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 said about the case earlier this month.
The Department of Justice alleges Pooh Shiesty set up a meeting with Gucci Mane in January to discuss the terms of his recording contract following his release from prison. They met at a studio with Pooh Shiesty's father, Lontrell Williams, Sr., BIG30, born Rodney Lamont Wright Jr., and six others: Kedarius Waters, Kordae Johnson, Demarcus Glover, Damarian Gipson, Darrion McDaniel, and Terrance Rodgers. During the meeting, Williams, Jr. and his eight other co-defendants allegedly "executed an armed takeover" as he "forced one of the victims to sign a release from the recording contract" while holding an AK-style pistol.
Members of the rapper's crew also had guns and robbed the other two victims at gunpoint. One of the victims was reportedly held in a chokehold until they were nearly rendered unconscious. The group allegedly stole cash, Rolex watches, jewelry, and other valuables. BIG30 is accused of barricading the door to keep the victims from leaving the studio. Lontrell Williams, Sr., allegedly helped plan and execute the alleged crime.
Pooh Shiesty and the eight co-defendants were charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. If convicted, they all face life in prison. Meanwhile, Pooh's sentence could be more severe. He was out on supervised release with an ankle monitor while living at a halfway house in Texas. He was serving out the rest of a 63-month sentence he received from a Florida judge after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of violent and drug trafficking crimes. In addition to not committing crimes, the artist was prohibited from possessing a firearm or being around those who owned one.