Pooh Shiesty lawyers say rapper held 23 hours a day in Texas jail

Rapper Pooh Shiesty says he is being held alone in a jail cell for 23 hours a day while he awaits trial. His lawyers set out the claim in an emergency motion to a federal judge on Thursday, Oct. 15, according to Billboard.

The filing identifies the rapper, whose legal name is Lontrell Williams Jr, as confined to his cell for most of the day with limited family visiting hours. He is being held at the Rolling Plains Regional Jail, a rural facility in Texas, as reported by Complex. Lawyers described the space as a small cell.

The lawyers said Williams has not been convicted of any offence in the current case and remains entitled to the presumption of innocence. They said prolonged near-total confinement is associated with heightened anxiety, depression and difficulty concentrating. Williams himself reported worsening sleep and rising anxiety, which his team said is harming his mental health.

According to the filing, jail staff gave only a vague reason for the arrangement. The lawyers said they were told he was being isolated for his own protection. No further detail was provided.

The case behind the detention dates to April, when Williams was arrested over an incident in Dallas in January. Prosecutors allege he pulled an AK-style pistol on rapper Gucci Mane, who signed him to 1017 Records in 2020.

Prosecutors allege Gucci Mane was forced at gunpoint and on camera to say he was releasing Williams from his record deal. They allege he was then robbed of his wedding ring, Rolex watches and cash. Williams was charged alongside his father, Lontrell Williams Sr, fellow rapper Big30, whose legal name is Rodney Lamont Wright Jr, and several others.

Williams and seven other people were arrested on charges of robbery and armed kidnapping, Reuters reported in April. A judge in federal court in Dallas denied Williams bond, meaning he will remain in custody pending trial, according to FOX13 Memphis. That trial is tentatively set for February, where he faces a maximum potential sentence of 30 years to life in prison if convicted.

This is not his first federal case. In April 2022, he was sentenced to five years and three months in prison by a federal court in Miami, as reported by Action News 5. The current filing does not decide guilt or innocence. It focuses on the conditions in which he is being held before trial.