Pooh Shiesty’s former attorney, Bradford Cohen, is defending the rapper after video connected to his alleged kidnapping and robbery case involving Gucci Mane surfaced online.
Cohen, who withdrew from Shiesty’s legal team in April, described the release of the footage as “nasty work” and argued that it does not prove the federal kidnapping charge against his former client.
The video appears to show Gucci Mane, whose legal name is Radric Davis, verbally releasing Pooh Shiesty from his recording contract while an armed man stands nearby inside a Dallas music studio.
In the footage, Shiesty allegedly instructs Gucci to confirm on camera that he has been dropped from the label.
“I signed the paper, it’s done,” Gucci says in the video.
Federal prosecutors claim the footage is part of a larger collection of evidence against Shiesty and eight co-defendants, who have been indicted on kidnapping and extortion charges following an alleged January 10 confrontation.
Shiesty, whose legal name is Lontrell Williams Jr., has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Cohen argued that the footage does not establish federal jurisdiction and questioned whether the case satisfies requirements under the Commerce Clause. He also raised concerns about what he described as a lack of cellphone evidence connecting the allegations to a federal offense.
The attorney further noted that Shiesty is not visibly holding the AK-style weapon prosecutors accuse him of using during the alleged incident.
However, the footage reportedly shows another defendant pulling out a firearm near the studio’s exit. Prosecutors allege Shiesty displayed an AK-style pistol before the recording began and forced Gucci to sign a contract release at gunpoint.
Prosecutors also claim the alleged victims were robbed of approximately $450,000 in jewelry, cash and other valuables. They say their evidence includes cooperating witnesses, cellphone location information and surveillance footage placing the defendants at the studio.
Cohen previously challenged the government’s case during an April bond hearing, highlighting that investigators had not yet obtained the alleged contract or video at that time.
Prosecutors have since claimed those earlier evidentiary gaps have been closed.
Despite the viral reaction surrounding the footage, Cohen maintained that the video alone will not determine whether Shiesty is convicted.
The rapper’s trial was moved from July 2026 to February 22, 2027, after his attorneys requested additional time to review approximately 96 gigabytes of discovery material. Shiesty will remain in custody while awaiting trial.