Man who planned to poison Jewish children with candy given out by Santa pleads guilty
A Neo-Nazi nicknamed ‘Commander Butcher’ has officially pleaded guilty to soliciting hate crimes, after he recruited others to poison Jewish children with candy in New York City.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national, was one of the leaders in the Maniac Murder Cult, an extremist group that hatched a plot to commit violent acts to further the group’s beliefs, including plotting a mass casualty attack within New York.
According to prosecutors handling the case, Chkhikvishvili told an undercover cop to dress in a Santa outfit and hand out candy laced with the poison ricin to 'many racial minorities and traitors'.
In addition, he was also accused of distributing a manifesto in 2021 called the ‘Hater’s Handbook’ to cult members and others. The document describes methods and strategies for committing mass 'terror attacks', including using vehicles to target 'large outdoor festivals, conventions, celebrations and parades' and 'pedestrian congested streets'.
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It specifically encourages committing attacks within the United States.
As well as encouraging others to commit hate crimes on behalf of the cult via the messaging app Telegram, Chkhikvishvili's manifesto also reportedly encouraged members to carry out acts of violence, including school shootings and to use children to perpetrate suicide bombings that targeted 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 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 even linked to a shooting at the Antioch High School in Nashville back in January 2025, when the 17-year-old perpetrator allegedly cited him in a manifesto before killing one person and taking his own life.
Chkhikvishvili was formally indicted in July 2024 for his crimes and extradited from Moldova to the United States in May 2025.
He has since pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting hate crimes and sending instructions to make 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."
Phoebe Tonks