Overview
- Bradford Cohen, the high-profile attorney, withdrew Wednesday from representing Pooh Shiesty, saying in a video that he still sees “a lot of holes” in the government’s case and that new lawyers will take over.
- Pooh Shiesty, whose legal name is Lontrell Williams Jr., remains in federal custody after a judge denied bond, and he has a court hearing set for May with no trial date on the docket.
- Lontrell Williams Sr. filed new papers arguing prosecutors lack direct proof tying him to the alleged plot, disputing claims that he booked the Dallas studio, printed a contract release at Staples, or helped kidnap Gucci Mane.
- Bond decisions for co-defendants are in flux after earlier grants were stayed on appeal, with a Texas federal judge expected to rule soon on whether Big30 and Williams Sr. can await trial under release conditions.
- Prosecutors say the case rests on a mosaic of surveillance, travel records, and digital traces from a January 10 Dallas studio takeover meant to force a contract release, while defense filings stress the absence of guns, the alleged paperwork, or video of a forced signing.