Sail to a foreign island, carry out lethal attacks on all the men, and enslave the women and children.
This was the elaborate scheme that two men from northern Texas planned for nearly a year, according to legal documents, in an attempt to fulfill their "fantasies."
US Attorney Jay R. Comb announced on Thursday (November 20) that Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, have been indicted by a grand jury on counts of conspiracy to m*rder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign country and production of child p*rnography.
Highlights
- Two young men from northern Texas have been indicted after planning to invade an island off the coast of Haiti.
- Gavin Rivers Weisenburg and Tanner Christopher plotted to wipe out all men and abduct women and children.
- The suspects reportedly attempted to recruit homeless men as mercenary forces.
Image credits: leparadishaitien
Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of mass violence and s*xual exploitation.
The suspects allegedly planned to travel to Gonâve Island, part of the Republic of Haiti, in an attempt to stage a coup d'état. The island has a population of about 87,000.
They reportedly planned to buy a boat, sail to Gonâve, and eliminate the male population on the island.
After overthrowing the local authorities, they intended to kidnap the women and children and turn them into s*x slaves.
Image credits: wfaa
Between July 2024 and May 2025, the pair took Haitian Creole classes to prepare for the coup.
Weisenburg enrolled at the North Texas Fire Academy in Rockwall, a professional fire and industrial training academy, seemingly to prepare for the scheme. However, after six months, he failed the program in February 2025.
Gavin Rivers Weisenburg and Tanner Christopher Thomas planned to travel to Gonâve Island and wipe out all men
Image credits: wfaa
Image credits: wfaa
Meanwhile, Thomas enlisted in the US Air Force in January 2025. Legal documents state that he intended to use his military skills for the planned coup on the island.
Two months after beginning training, he reportedly managed to change his Air Force assignment from a base in Germany to one in Maryland.
According to the indictment, the move was intended to keep him in the United States so he could continue orchestrating the plot and attempt to recruit homeless people from the Washington, DC area to serve as a “mercenary force.”
Weisenburg also traveled to Thailand in February 2025 to enroll in a sailing course to prepare for invading Gonâve.
However, according to the indictment, he ultimately did not enroll after arriving in the country due to the high cost of the course.
They had reportedly been preparing the invasion for nearly a year, acquiring military skills and attempting to recruit others
Image credits: FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth
In addition to the sailboat, the suspects from Allen and Argyle planned to purchase firearms and ammunition for their unlawful expeditionary force.
Weisenburg and Thomas are also charged with production of child p*rnography in a related count in the indictment. Both men are accused of coercing a minor to engage in s*x acts on camera on August 31, 2024, as per Fox 25.
Weisenburg was previously arrested in July 2025 on the charges.
According to the legal documents, the men wanted to abduct the women and children to fulfill their "r*pe fantasies."
Image credits: FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth
Weisenburg and Thomas face up to life in prison if convicted
Image credits: FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth
The suspects face up to life in federal prison if they are convicted of conspiracy to commit m*rder in a foreign country.
They face 15 to 30 years in federal prison if convicted of production of child p*rnography.
No further information about the case has been released.
Gonâve Island is located west-northwest of Port-au-Prince, the capital and most populous city of Haiti.
Image credits: y Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit
Since declaring its independence in 1804, Haiti has been a target of foreign interventions, including from the United States, which occupied the island country for 19 years beginning in 1915.
Gonâve Island has a population of about 87,000
Image credits: leparadishaitien
In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson ordered the US Marines to invade Haiti after the assassination of its president, Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, citing the need to stabilize the nation amid political unrest in the region.
Before then, the island had been a French colony. After obtaining its independence, Haiti became the first nation to permanently abolish slavery and the slave trade, following years of revolt against enslavement and the overthrow of French masters.
"They wouldn't last five minutes in Haiti," one reader commented
