Two North Texas men face federal charges after a grand jury indicted them for an alleged plot to invade an island off Haiti, murder the men living there, and enslave women and children.
Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, of Allen, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, of Argyle, were both charged with conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign country and production of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
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According to court information, the alleged scheme occurred between Aug. 2024 and July 2025.
Prosecutors say Weisenburg and Thomas planned to form an unlawful “expeditionary force” to invade Gonave Island, part of the Republic of Haiti, to carry out their “rape fantasies.”
Gonave Island has an estimated population of more than 87,000 people.
Details from the alleged plan
In an alleged scheme that was as ill-advised as it was horrific, officials say the men planned to purchase a sailboat, firearms, and ammunition and recruit members of unhoused communities in Washington, D.C. to serve as mercenaries.
Prosecutors say the plan involved murdering all men on the island and turning women and children into sex slaves.
Investigators say both men took multiple steps to advance the plot, including making logistical outlines, learning Haitian Creole, recruiting others, and researching schools that could provide skills needed for the invasion.
In an effort to gain “military skills,” Thomas even enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, according to the indictment.
If convicted on the conspiracy charge, each could face up to life in federal prison. The child-pornography charge carries a penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Celina Police Department.
Neither man has entered a plea for the charges, and the investigation is ongoing.