Four American men, including the son of a late opposition figure, have been charged in the United States for their roles in what prosecutors describe as a carefully orchestrated coup attempt to topple the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The U.S. Justice Department announced the charges Wednesday, following the repatriation of three of the men from Congo earlier this week.
The men are accused of conspiring to support an armed rebellion that aimed to establish a new regime in Congo, an operation led by Christian Malanga, a Congolese-born opposition figure who was killed during the attempted coup in May 2024. Among those charged is Malanga’s 22-year-old son, Marcel Malanga, who prosecutors say played a commanding role in the failed insurrection.
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The three Americans, Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr., also 22, and 37-year-old Benjamin Zalman-Polun, were initially arrested in Congo and sentenced to death. Their sentences were later reduced to life imprisonment before they were transferred into U.S. custody on Tuesday. The fourth defendant, Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, a Utah man described by prosecutors as an explosives expert, was charged separately and is set to appear in court in Salt Lake City.
Their return to the U.S. coincided with a move by Congolese officials to secure a mineral deal with the U.S. and broader security cooperation aimed at stabilizing Congo’s conflict-stricken eastern region.
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A federal criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday reveals that the FBI had been investigating the plot for months. The document accuses the men of conspiring to provide military equipment, including explosives and firearms, to a rebel force formed to overthrow Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.
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Court records describe the objective of the coup as the installation of a new government, dubbed New Zaire, with Christian Malanga as president. His son Marcel allegedly assumed the role of “Chief of Staff of the Zaire army” and actively led rebel fighters on the ground. Christian Malanga broadcasted parts of the attempted coup in real time from the presidential palace in Kinshasa, moments before being fatally shot by security forces.
Christian Malanga, originally from Kinshasa, had lived in the U.S. since the 1990s after seeking asylum. He presented himself online as a self-styled revolutionary, car dealer, and gold mining entrepreneur. He previously served prison time for firearm-related assault in Utah and had other cases dismissed. He reportedly persuaded his American-born son to join the rebellion, recruiting additional followers along the way.
According to prosecutors, Thompson, a high school football teammate of Marcel’s and Zalman-Polun, were enlisted to support the insurgency, with promises of high-ranking roles in the proposed regime. Zalman-Polun, for instance, was set to be appointed chief of staff or assume a financial portfolio in the new administration.
The fourth defendant, Moesser, is alleged to have provided explosives training at his Utah home, helped source military-style weapons, and offered drone and bomb deployment expertise. He previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after attempting to bring explosive black powder onto a commercial flight in Salt Lake City.
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Prosecutors claim that, months before the attack, the accused engaged in firearms drills, drone tests, and paramilitary preparations near Salt Lake City. Marcel Malanga and Thompson were seen firing rifles and testing drones equipped with flamethrowers—gear that Thompson had reportedly researched for its potential to “light people on fire.”
The charging documents reveal that Moesser played a critical role in helping the younger Malanga and Thompson outfit drones with incendiary and explosive devices. He also communicated with Christian Malanga about shipping AR-15 rifles and pipe bombs to Congo.
According to evidence in the complaint, the men hijacked a bus and raided a Congolese police station in their attempt to seize arms for the attack. Social media posts and livestreams, some captured during the assault—tie three of the accused directly to the events in Kinshasa, where at least six people died.
Marcel Malanga later testified to a Congolese judge that he was coerced into the plot, stating that his father had threatened to kill him if he refused to participate.
“We’re about to go take out some terrorists,” Marcel allegedly told a friend while attempting to recruit him for the mission. That friend, unnamed in court documents, declined the offer. Other acquaintances told The Associated Press that Malanga had offered as much as $100,000 for participation in what he vaguely described as a “security job” in Africa.
Thompson’s family said they believed he was simply going on his first international vacation funded by Christian Malanga, unaware of any ulterior motive.
All four men now face serious federal charges, including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb government buildings, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons abroad. If convicted, they could face decades behind bars.
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In its detention memorandum, the Justice Department emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating, “The four defendants pose an extreme danger to the community and present an unmanageable risk of flight.”
The case, still unfolding, marks one of the most detailed and international plots involving American citizens charged with attempting to destabilize a foreign government through military means. The suspects are expected to appear in court in the coming days, Malanga, Thompson, and Zalman-Polun in Brooklyn, and Moesser in Salt Lake City.
