PLANO, Texas (TCN) — Two men have been indicted by a grand jury on federal charges for allegedly planning to overthrow a Haitian island, kill the male residents, and use the women and children as sex slaves.
Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, were arrested after a federal investigation uncovered their alleged plot to seize a small island off Haiti. The indictment, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas on Nov. 20, includes charges of conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign country and production of child pornography.
They are also charged with child pornography in a related count, the DOJ says; KDFW reports that they coerced a minor to engage in sex acts on camera in August 2024.
The pair allegedly “conspired to recruit and lead an unlawful expeditionary force to the Island of Gonave, which is part of the Republic of Haiti, for the purpose of carrying out their rape fantasies,” according to the statement by the U.S. Attorney’s office.
It continued, “Weisenburg and Thomas planned to purchase a sailboat, firearms, and ammunition, then recruit members of the District of Columbia-area homeless population to serve as a mercenary force as they invaded Gonave Island and staged a coup d’état. Weisenburg and Thomas intended to murder all of the men on the island so that they could then turn all of the women and children into their sex slaves.”
Attorneys for both men said they will enter not guilty pleas, The Associated press reports.
Weisenburg and Thomas allegedly began working on their plot in July 2024, per the AP. The island has about 87,000 residents.
They reportedly spent time learning the island’s language and doing weapons research, and planned to enroll in fire training and sailing programs. Thomas reportedly enlisted in the Air Force in January 2025 to gain relevant military skills that would aid in the alleged invasion plot, per the AP.
The men could receive sentences of up to life in prison if convicted of the federal conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country. If convicted of federal production of child pornography charges, they could each face 15 to 30 years in prison.
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