Neo-Nazi Leader Admits Plot to Poison Jewish Children in New York City
A Neo-Nazi extremist known as “Commander Butcher” has pleaded guilty to federal charges after plotting to poison Jewish children and incite racially motivated violence in New York City.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national, was identified by prosecutors as a leader in the Maniac Murder Cult, an extremist group promoted online and through encrypted channels, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors said Chkhikvishvili “recruited people to commit violent acts in furtherance of Maniac Murder Cult’s ideologies, including planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack in New York City.”
In communications with an undercover agent, Chkhikvishvili allegedly provided detailed instructions for a planned holiday attack. He directed the agent to dress as Santa Claus and distribute candy laced with ricin to “many racial minorities and traitors,” according to court filings.
In June 2022, Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn. The following month, prosecutors said, he used the encrypted messaging app Telegram to encourage others to commit hate crimes on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult.
By 2021, Chkhikvishvili had begun circulating a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” to cult members and sympathizers, promoting violent Neo-Nazi ideology.
Prosecutors also said that a 17-year-old who killed one person and injured another before dying by suicide in January at Antioch High School in Nashville specifically referenced Chkhikvishvili in his own manifesto.
“Chkhikvishvili’s monstrous plots and propaganda calling for racially motivated violence against civilians, including children, posed a grave threat to public safety,” Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said in a statement. “Unfortunately, his efforts on behalf of the aptly named Maniac Murder Cult in fact caused mayhem and death. We condemn his despicable ideology and will use every tool at our disposal to bring such predators to justice.”
Chkhikvishvili was indicted in July 2024 and extradited from Moldova to the United States in May 2025.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to soliciting hate crimes and sending detailed instructions on how to manufacture bombs and ricin.
“Michail Chkhikvishvili plotted extensive terrorist attacks targeting Jewish New Yorkers, including horrific plans to poison children,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. “This wasn’t just violent behavior — it was extreme antisemitism rooted in Neo-Nazi ideology that put communities here and around the world at risk.”
