DOJ: Texas Pair Planned to Massacre Men on Haitian Island and Turn Women, Kids Into 'Sex Slaves'

TEXAS - On Thursday, November 20, federal prosecutors announced that two Texas men have been charged in an alleged plot to invade a Haitian island, kill its male residents, and enslave the women and children as their "sex slaves."

The two suspects, 21-year-old Gavin Rivers Weisenburg and 20-year-old Tanner Christopher Thomas, were indicted on charges of conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign country, and production of child pornography, Fox News reported.

"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," federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas said in a press release. 

Prosecutors said that between August 2024 and July 2025, Weisenburg and Thomas allegedly conspired to recruit and lead an "unlawful expeditionary force to the island of Gonâve" for the "purpose of carrying out their rape fantasies."

According to police reports, the two men 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 Gonâve Island and staged a coup d’état," according to the press release. 

"Weisendburg and Thomas undertook numerous overt acts in furtherance of their invasion plan, including making operational and logistical plans, learning Haitian Creole language, recruiting others to join the invasion plan, and researching and enrolling in schools to acquire skills relevant to the invasion plan," prosecutors stated. 

Thomas even reportedly enlisted in the U.S. Air Force to acquire military skills relevant to the invasion plan, and in addition to the alleged invasion plan, both men are accused of producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

Gonâve Island, located in the Gulf of Gonâve, has a population of roughly 100,000 people. If convicted, Weisenburg and Thomas each face up to life in federal prison for the conspiracy charge. The child pornography charge carries between 15 and 30 years in federal prison.

Dr. Alex Del Carmen calls the case the most bizarre he's seen in his 29 years as a criminologist, according to FOX 4. "You know, this is a very unusual case, right?" he said. "I think it's more than just talk, right? So, typically, what federal prosecutors will do is they're gonna look at what sort of planning took place and whether or not there was an intent."

"And in addition to the intent, whether these individuals had the capability of doing this. And all of these elements of the crime are present in this particular case," he added. Del Carmen said he has seen a lot, but he's never seen anything like this before on U.S. soil.