Nine people, including rappers Pooh Shiesty and Big30, have been charged in an alleged armed kidnapping and robbery targeting Gucci Mane.
Federal prosecutors in the US claim the conspiracy dated back to January 2016, when a business meeting had turned into what officials call a ‘targeted‘ armed robbery inside a studio in Dallas.
According to US Department of Justice, the gang apparently tricked victims into entering the recording studio on a false pretext, using a phony business setup to fool them, Gucci Mane amongst them with promises of discussing music contracts.
Prosecutors claim Pooh Shiesty presented an AK style handgun to orchestrate an apparent ambush before the victims were threatened at gunpoint while multiple individuals gained control of the room.
The defendants are said to have forced a victim to sign a release on a contract at gunpoint, hinting the robbery may have been an attempt to get revenge on the star for issues with Gucci Mane’s 1017 record label.
While one individual stood guard, others in the alleged group moved to divest their victims of their possessions during the course of the event, taking Rolex watches, money, jewelry and other luxury items.
Investigators say there were different, ‘working’ roles. While a number had handled the “forced physical contact” of an armed confrontation, a number of people in the group were responsible for blocking the exits of the studio-preventing victims leaving through brute force.
During one of the more violent exchanges the court filing documents detail, an attacker had allegedly “choked one of the victims until the victim almost lost consciousness“.
The group quickly fled the scene, although other suspicious actions, such as defendants posting pictures of the goods on social media later helped to build the case.
Eight of the nine men have been arrested in a number of different US states from Tennessee and Texas, and only one defendant is still at large.
All are facing heavy federal charges for armed robbery and Kidnapping that may carry prison sentences of up to life imprisonment. Gucci Mane and the alleged rappers are yet to make a statement about the incident.
