A Neo-Nazi known as ‘Commander Butcher’ has admitted guilt in a case involving the solicitation of hate crimes, where he attempted to enlist others to poison Jewish children in New York City with tainted candy.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, hailing from Georgia, was a key figure in the Maniac Murder Cult, an extremist organization that conspired to carry out violent acts to promote their ideology, including planning a mass casualty event in the city.
Prosecutors revealed that Chkhikvishvili urged an undercover officer to disguise as Santa Claus and distribute candy contaminated with the poison ricin to “many racial minorities and traitors.”
Additionally, he was accused of circulating a manifesto in 2021, titled the ‘Hater’s Handbook,’ among cult members and others. This document outlines tactics and plans for executing mass “terror attacks,” such as using vehicles to strike “large outdoor festivals, conventions, celebrations and parades” and “pedestrian congested streets.”
The manifesto specifically advocates for attacks within the United States.
Apart from encouraging others to commit hate crimes on behalf of the cult through the messaging app Telegram, Chkhikvishvili also prompted cult members to engage in violent acts such as school shootings and to use children to execute suicide bombings against ethnic minorities.
“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 stated.
“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 connected to a shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville in January 2025, where a 17-year-old assailant mentioned him in a manifesto before killing one person and then himself.
Chkhikvishvili was officially charged in July 2024 and extradited from Moldova to the United States in May 2025.
He has since admitted guilt to charges of soliciting hate crimes and providing instructions for making 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.”