The Department of Justice has alleged that two Texas men plotted a murderous coup d’etat on the island of Gonâve, the largest in Haiti, “for the purpose of carrying out their rape fantasies”.
The two men, 21-year-old Gavin Rivers Weisenburg and 20-year-old Tanner Christopher Thomas, have been accused of plotting to take the island by force, utilizing the homeless population of Washington DC, then killing all the men on the island and “using the women and children as sex slaves”, according to an announcement by the US attorney’s office of the eastern district of Texas on Thursday.
It is not clear why the men targeted the island, which is estimated to have between 85,000 and 100,000 inhabitants, for their scheme. As part of their plan, the men had gained Haitian Creole language skills and began the process of recruiting people to prepare for the invasion.
One of the men, Thomas, had joined the US air force “to acquire military skills relevant to the invasion plan”.
The men have also been charged with producing child pornography, which could land them in prison for between 15 and 30 years if convicted.
The larger charge, federal conspiracy to murder, maim or kidnap in a foreign country, would land them in prison for life if convicted.
According to the indictment, the two men began hatching the plan in August 2024 and continued with it until July of this year. They intended to purchase a boat, weapons and ammunition as part of their planned invasion, and enrolled in specific training schools.
Weisenburg was arrested in July, according to a local Fox station in Texas, which also reported that he traveled to Thailand to learn how to sail.
Thomas had changed his air force station to Maryland to help facilitate his plan to recruit the homeless population in the nation’s capital.
The case was jointly handled by the FBI, the US air force office of special investigations and a local police department.
According to a 2020 video produced by the UN human rights office, the island of Gonâve lacks “judicial personnel and infrastructure”, leading to complaints from residents that crime is not sufficiently addressed. The island is also said to be difficult to reach and cut off from the rest of Haiti.
