PLANO, Texas (KSLA) – Two men from north Texas have been indicted for an alleged plot to invade an island off Haiti, murder the men there, and use the women and children as sex slaves, says U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, of Allen, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, of Argyle, were both named in the two-count indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas, charging them with conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign country and production of child pornography.
According to info presented in court, between August of 2024 and July of 2025, Weisenburg and Thomas reportedly schemed to recruit and lead a mercenary force to the Island of Gonave, which is part of the Republic of Haiti, with the purpose of carrying out their rape fantasies.
Officials say Weisenburg and Thomas planned to buy a sailboat, guns, and ammo, then recruit unhoused people in the Washington, D.C. area to serve in their “army” to invade Gonave Island, and stage a coup d’etat.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Weisenburg and Thomas intended to murder all of the men on the island so they could turn all of the women and children into their sex slaves.
Weisenburg and Thomas reportedly took a number of actions to put their plan into effect, including making operational and logistical plans, learning Haitian Creole, recruiting others to join in their invasion, and researching and enrolling in schools to learn the skills necessary for their plan. Thomas is even said to have enlisted into the U.S. Air Force to learn military skills relevant to their invasion plan.
CRIME IN THE ARKLATEX
If convicted, Weisenburg and Thomas face up to life in federal prison if convicted of the federal conspiracy charge. If convicted of the production of child porn charge, they face at least 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison.
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