Texas men charged in plot to invade Haitian island, kill all men, enslave women and children

Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, of Allen, 🤠Texas, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, of Argyle, Texas, were indicted Nov. 20, 2025, in the Eastern District of Texas on two federal counts: conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign country, and production of child pornography. They face up to life in prison for the conspiracy charge and 15-30 years for child pornography production. The indictment alleges they planned to invade La Gonâve island, Haiti, kill all men, and enslave women and children as sex slaves.

Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on Jan. 7, 2025, telling Weisenburg in social media messages he joined specifically to gain military training for their planned invasion. On Mar. 14, 2025, Thomas changed his Air Force assignment from Ramstein Air Base in Germany to Joint Base Andrews in 🦀Maryland. The indictment states he made this change to stay near Washington, 🏛️DC for recruiting homeless people to serve as their 'mercenary army.'

Weisenburg enrolled in the North 🤠Texas Fire Academy in Rockwall on Aug. 5, 2024, allegedly to learn command-and-control procedures useful for the coup. He failed out of the program on Feb. 8, 2025. On Feb. 20, 2025, Weisenburg bought plane tickets to Thailand to attend sailing school and learn to operate their invasion boat. He never enrolled in the sailing lessons due to cost.

The men took Haitian Creole language classes from Jul. 2024 to May 2025. They researched weapons and ammunition, including military-type rifles. They made operational and logistical plans for purchasing a sailboat, firearms, and ammunition. They planned to recruit members of the 🏛️DC-area homeless population to join their invasion force. The planning phase ran from Aug. 2024 through Jul. 2025—nearly a full year of systematic preparation.

La Gonâve island has a population of 87,000 to 100,000 people. The island covers roughly 290 square miles and is located 30-50 miles west of Port-au-Prince in the Gulf of Gonâve. It's Haiti's largest satellite island. Federal prosecutors say the men intended to stage a coup d'état, murder all men on the island, and turn all women and children into sex slaves to 'carry out their rape fantasies.'

The child pornography charge stems from Aug. 2024 when prosecutors allege one defendant coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and send video. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison. The conspiracy charge for murder in a foreign country carries up to life in prison.

Weisenburg was arrested Jul. 3, 2025, by Celina Police Department on the child pornography charge. Thomas was arrested in Nov. 2025 after the grand jury returned the indictment. The FBI, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and Celina Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney RLRyan Locker is prosecuting.

Defense attorneys DFDavid Finn (representing Weisenburg) and John Helms (representing Thomas) both said their clients will plead not guilty. Finn said the indictment is 'simply an allegation' and encouraged people to 'hold their horses and stay tuned,' stating 'there is some truth to the allegations' but questioning what 'actually did, did not, and could not have happened.' Helms told reporters 'They never tried to do any of this.' Dr. Alex Del Carmen, a criminologist with 29 years experience, called it the most bizarre case he's seen.