In a case that has stunned both law enforcement and the public, two young men from Texas stand accused of plotting a violent and deeply disturbing coup on a remote Haitian island, with intentions so horrific they sound almost too outlandish to be real. Federal indictments handed down in late November 2025 reveal that Gavin Rivers Weisenburg, 21, of Allen, Texas, and Tanner Christopher Thomas, 20, of Argyle, Texas, meticulously planned to invade Gonâve Island—home to nearly 87,000 people—by force, kill every man on the island, and enslave its women and children.
According to the Department of Justice and multiple news outlets, the conspiracy began to take shape in the summer of 2024. The two men, described by prosecutors as obsessed with violence and domination, spent months learning Haitian Creole, the primary language spoken on Gonâve, and studying skills they believed would aid their paramilitary ambitions. Weisenburg enrolled in the North Texas Fire Academy to learn "command and control protocols," but was expelled in February 2025. His next move was an attempt to travel to Thailand to learn sailing, a plan that ultimately failed due to lack of funds, as reported by The New York Times and other sources.
Thomas, meanwhile, took a different route. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in January 2025, with the apparent aim of gaining military training for the planned coup. According to Task & Purpose, Thomas was first assigned to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas and later transferred to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Prosecutors allege that Thomas used his time in Maryland to try to recruit homeless individuals from nearby Washington, D.C., offering them money in exchange for joining the coup as mercenaries. The indictment states that both men spent months researching weapons, ammunition, and military-style rifles, and discussed buying a sailboat to transport their "army" to Haiti.
The scheme’s brutality was matched only by its delusion. Court documents, as cited by BBC and Fox 4 Dallas, allege the men planned the systematic extermination of all male residents on the island, intending to enslave the remaining women and children for sexual exploitation. The prosecutors’ memo, unsealed in federal court, described the plot as a "rape fantasy" made real, and detailed how the pair mapped out logistics, tried to recruit others online and in person, and engaged in months of planning between August 2024 and July 2025.
But the criminal charges facing Weisenburg and Thomas do not end with conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping in a foreign country. Both men have also been charged with production of child pornography, after investigators found evidence that they coerced a minor to perform sex acts on camera in August 2024. According to The Associated Press, the child pornography charges alone carry a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison.
The details of how federal authorities uncovered the plot remain murky. It is not clear whether their communications were intercepted or if an informant tipped off law enforcement. What is known is that Weisenburg was arrested in July 2025 after returning from his failed trip to Thailand, while Thomas’s arrest date remains unspecified. In the wake of his arrest, Thomas underwent a Court Martial in the Air Force, where he was convicted of three violations under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including communicating indecent language and violating federal law for non-capital offenses. As a result, Thomas received a dishonorable discharge and a three-year sentence of confinement, according to an official statement from the Air Education and Training Command.
The investigation into the pair’s activities has been a joint effort between the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the FBI, and the Celina Police Department. The seriousness of the charges is reflected in the potential sentences: both men face life imprisonment if convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, and an additional 15 to 30 years for the child pornography offenses.
Their attorneys have pushed back against the government’s narrative. David Finn, Weisenburg’s lawyer, told Fox 4 Dallas, "An indictment is simply an allegation. And while there is some truth to the allegations, I believe that it will become clear what actually did, did not, and could not have happened. If your initial response to the government’s press release was, ‘That sounds crazy, impossible, and absurd,’ you might be on to something important. Reserve judgement and don’t buy into the hype—at least not yet." Thomas’s legal team has also indicated their client will plead not guilty in court.
For many observers, the case raises uncomfortable questions about radicalization, online extremism, and the vulnerabilities of countries like Haiti, which has suffered years of political instability, rampant gang violence, and the breakdown of state institutions. According to the United Nations, more than 1.3 million Haitians have been displaced by violence in recent years, and gangs now control roughly 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The island of Gonâve itself is described by the UN as lacking "judicial personnel and infrastructure," making it an especially vulnerable target for outside actors.
Haiti’s ongoing crisis, marked by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and the near-total collapse of central authority, has left the country exposed to both internal and external threats. The U.S. State Department continues to warn Americans against traveling to Haiti, citing the risks of kidnappings, crimes, and civil unrest. In this context, the plot by Weisenburg and Thomas—however far-fetched and ultimately doomed—serves as a chilling reminder of how chaos can breed dangerous fantasies in the minds of the disaffected.
As the legal process unfolds, both men are expected to appear in court to face the charges. The severity of the allegations and the shocking nature of their plan have already left an indelible mark on public discourse, raising the specter of real-world violence inspired by extremist ideology and unchecked online radicalization. The outcome of the trial may offer some measure of justice, but the broader questions it raises about vulnerability, extremism, and the fragility of troubled nations like Haiti will linger long after the verdict is read.
For now, the world watches as this bizarre and appalling saga makes its way through the American justice system—a stark illustration of how even the most outlandish plots can have roots in reality, and how vigilance remains essential in a world where fantasy and violence too often collide.