Pooh Shiesty has won court approval to end his reported 23-hour daily isolation at a Texas jail while awaiting trial on federal charges involving the alleged kidnapping and robbery of Gucci Mane.
The Memphis rapper, whose real name is Lontrell Williams Jr., received a favorable development during a November 10 hearing before U.S. District Judge David Godbey in Dallas. According to court records reported by WFAA, both sides reached an agreement concerning his confinement conditions after weeks of legal disagreements over his treatment behind bars.
Following the hearing, the court record stated that “the parties have agreed on the motion and will inform the court if they are unable to secure a suitable location for the defendant.”
Although the agreement clears the way for changes to his confinement, a new housing location has not been publicly confirmed. The development also does not mean the rapper is being released from custody.
Pooh Shiesty is currently detained at Rolling Plains Regional Jail in Haskell, Texas, where his attorneys say he has spent approximately 23 hours each day alone in his cell. His legal team has argued that the restrictions are excessive for someone who has not been convicted of the charges he currently faces.
The dispute began in October when his attorneys filed an emergency motion requesting “humane conditions” and intervention from the U.S. Marshals Service. They argued that the prolonged isolation was affecting his mental well-being and that jail officials had failed to provide a sufficient explanation for the restrictions.
Judge Godbey initially granted the emergency motion on October 15, expressing concern over the conditions described by the defense.
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“Mr. Williams reports that his time in this restrictive incarceration already is adversely affecting his sleep and his mental state,” Godbey wrote.
“Continuing to hold him in this status, without any documented justification specific to his conduct at RPRJ, serves no legitimate governmental interest that the record reflects, and risks converting his pretrial detention into something tantamount to unconstitutional punishment.”
The judge subsequently scheduled the November 10 hearing after federal officials challenged the defense’s account of the rapper’s treatment.
According to Pooh Shiesty’s attorneys, jail officials told their client he was “isolated for his own protection” but offered little additional information explaining why such strict measures were necessary.
His legal team maintained that he had not committed violent or threatening acts at the facility that would justify keeping him separated from other detainees for nearly the entire day.
The rapper’s family also raised concerns about the impact of the restrictions.
In a letter submitted to the judge, his aunt stated that she had “seen Lontrell decline mentally and emotionally since he was moved to the jail in Haskell.”
His attorneys further challenged the jail’s visitation policy, claiming he was limited to two hours of in-person family visits per month. One family visit was reportedly cut short after an hour because officials said the monthly limit had nearly been reached.
Pooh Shiesty had previously been housed in Kaufman County before being transferred to Rolling Plains in July.
Federal prosecutors, however, disputed the suggestion that his confinement conditions were inhumane.
In their response to the emergency motion, government attorneys raised concerns about security at the facility and the rapper’s conduct while previously under federal supervision.
Prosecutors alleged that Williams had “corrupted” individuals responsible for monitoring him at a halfway house. They also claimed a jail administrator was “concerned” about his safety.
According to the government’s filing, three inmates had allegedly attempted to enter his housing area to obtain autographs. Prosecutors additionally cited an alleged admission involving recent fentanyl use.
Those claims formed part of the government’s argument for maintaining restrictive housing. His attorneys disputed the adequacy of those explanations and argued that the government had not established misconduct at Rolling Plains that justified his continued isolation.
Federal officials also pointed to Pooh Shiesty’s extensive access to electronic communication as evidence that he was not completely cut off from the outside world.
The government reported that Williams “engaged in 231 video visits totaling 2,721 minutes of video conversation (approximately 45 hours).”
Officials also claimed he had sent or received 12,342 emails, including more than 1,000 containing attachments.
Prosecutors argued that “he has unfettered access to, and use of, a tablet.”
The filing offered additional details about his electronic activity.
“[Williams’] use of the tablet – which logs video calls, emails, games, music, Netflix, NFL Channel, etc., is approximately 500 pages long with around 30 entries per page of activity,” federal officials stated.
The government concluded, “It can hardly be said that these conditions of confinement are inhumane and therefore this emergency motion should be denied outright.”
Pooh Shiesty’s defense countered that access to entertainment and electronic communication could not replace meaningful human interaction or justify keeping someone isolated without adequate explanation.
The court agreement follows that disagreement over whether the restrictions were necessary security precautions or excessive treatment of a defendant awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, the criminal case keeping Pooh Shiesty behind bars remains active.
In April 2026, federal authorities announced charges against nine individuals, including the Memphis rapper, his father, Lontrell Williams Sr., and fellow rapper Big30, whose legal name is Rodney Wright Jr.
Prosecutors allege the group participated in an armed robbery and kidnapping at a Dallas recording studio on January 10, 2026.
According to the Justice Department, the confrontation began after Pooh Shiesty arranged a meeting involving Gucci Mane to discuss his recording contract with the rapper’s 1017 label.
Federal investigators allege that Williams pulled out an AK-style pistol and “forced one of the victims to sign a release from the recording contract at gunpoint.”
Authorities further allege that other individuals at the meeting were threatened and robbed of jewelry, watches, cash, and other valuables.
The accusations have not been proven at trial, and Pooh Shiesty has pleaded not guilty.
His trial was originally scheduled for July 2026 before being postponed to February 22, 2027, after his defense requested additional time to review extensive evidence in the case.
