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In a startling revelation, federal prosecutors allege that two men from Texas conspired to seize control of an island in Haiti. The plan reportedly included one of the men enlisting in the U.S. military to gain combat training for a violent takeover, with the aim of killing the male population and exploiting women and children for sexual purposes.
Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, both hailing from the Dallas area, were formally charged on Thursday with conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign nation, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas. Additionally, they face charges of producing child pornography, based on claims that they coerced a minor into participating in sexually explicit activities.
Attorneys representing the two men have stated that their clients intend to plead not guilty to the charges. “These allegations are unfounded,” said John Helms, the legal representative for Thomas.
According to documents filed in a federal court in Texas, the accused men allegedly plotted to recruit homeless individuals to join their attempted coup in Haiti. Their ambitious scheme involved purchasing a sailboat to facilitate their takeover of Gonave Island, a region home to approximately 87,000 people. Covering about 290 square miles (751 square kilometers), Gonave Island is the largest island adjacent to Hispaniola.
An indictment filed in a Texas federal court accuses the men of planning to recruit the homeless to join their coup in Haiti, buy a sailboat and seize power on Gonave Island, which has about 87,000 residents. It covers roughly 290 square miles (751 square kilometers) square miles and is the largest island surrounding Hispaniola.
Helms said that while he has not yet seen the government’s evidence, he thinks prosecutors “are going to have a real hard time” trying to prove that Weisenburg and Thomas actually intended to carry out such a plot.
David Finn, Weisenburg’s attorney, said he encourages everyone to “tap the breaks” and reserve judgment. He said people have been telling him it is “the craziest thing” they have heard, and his response has been: “Yeah, it is.”
According to the indictment, the two men worked on the plot from August 2024 through July and that preparations included researching weapons and ammunition and plans to buy military-type rifles. Prosecutors also allege that both men tried to learn the Haitian Creole language.
Weisenburg allegedly enrolled in a fire academy around Dallas to receive training that would be useful in the attack but failed out of the school. He then allegedly traveled to Thailand and planned to learn to sail, only to never end up enrolling in lessons because of the cost.
Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in January, according to the indictment, and told Weisenburg in a social media message that he had joined the military to further their planned attack. While in the Air Force, Thomas changed his assignment to Andrews Air Base in Maryland to help in the recruiting of homeless people in Washington, D.C., the indictment said.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations was among the investigating agencies, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Air Force did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Thomas’ service on Friday.
The men face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on the child pornography charge and up to life in prison if convicted on the conspiracy charge.