NEWS / 2 TX men arrested in bizarre plot to invade Haiti island; will have criminal record if convicted

2 men from Texas have been arrested in a plot to invade Gonâve Island under belonging to the Republic of Haiti with the goal of exterminating all local men and enslaving women and children. The pair were planning to recruit homeless residents of the District of Columbia as part of their expeditionary force. If convicted, they will have a criminal record for conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap persons in a foreign country as well as the production of child pornography.

Gavin Weisenburg, 21, of the City of Allen, Texas, and Tanner Thomas, 20, of the City of Argyle, Texas, began conspiring to take advantage of the instability in the Caribbean nation of Haiti to take control of the Island of Gonâve, currently home to just over 87,000 people, with the goal of killing all the men and sexually enslaving the women and children of the island. The 2 men appear to have been harboring sadistic rape fantasies.

According to the indictment press release filed by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, the plot was devised between August 2024 and July 2025, with the 2 men making operational and logistical plans, learning the Haitian Creole language, and recruiting others. Thomas went as far as to enlist in the United States Air Force to acquire the military skills necessary to implement the invasion, while Weisenburg enrolled in the North Texas Fire Academy and allegedly traveled to Thailand to learn sailing.

According to NPR, in March 2025, Thomas changed his basic training assignment from Ramstein Air Base in Germany to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland so he could attempt to recruit the homeless population of the District of Columbia.

"The co-conspirators conducted research, reconnaissance, recruiting, planning, and sought training to effectuate their plan," the indictment reads. "It was the goal of the conspiracy to take military control of the Island of Gonave by murdering all the men on the island and capturing all the women."

If convicted of conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap persons in a foreign country, the 2 men could face up to life in prison. The pair also allegedly pressured a minor to participate in a pornographic recording and are thus also facing the charge of production of child pornography, which carries up to a 30-year prison sentence.

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