Rapper Pooh Shiesty avoids life sentence with plea to gun charges in Florida

MIAMI — Rapper Pooh Shiesty has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge in Florida and avoided a possible life sentence.

Lontrell Williams Jr., 22, pleaded guilty Monday in Miami federal court to conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence and drug trafficking, according to court records.

The Tennessee native faces up to 20 years in prison, although attorneys for both sides have recommended a sentence of about eight years, the Commercial Appeal reported. A judge will determine Williams’ sentence at a later hearing.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped three charges, including a gun charge that had a possible maximum sentence of life in prison, the newspaper reported. According to court records, the charges related to three separate events.

Williams was inside a car in Memphis, Tenn., in July 2020 when an occupant of the car discharged a firearm at a gas station, officials said.

Three months later, Williams was part of an armed group that shot and wounded two people and stole marijuana, codeine and high-end sneakers at a hotel in the Miami-area town of Bay Harbor Islands, authorities said.

Finally, Williams shot and wounded a security guard following a performance at a Miami strip club in May 2021, prosecutors said.

Pooh Shiesty first gained attention following collaborations with Gucci Mane and other rappers. He released his debut commercial mixtape, “Shiesty Season,” last February. It peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was named No. 37 on Rolling Stone’s Top 50 albums of 2021.