A 22-year-old neo-Nazi from Georgia twisted the image of Santa Claus into a horrifying plot to poison minority and Jewish children in New York City, earning him 15 years behind bars.
Story Snapshot
- Michail Chkhikvishvili, “Commander Butcher,” led Maniac Murder Cult and pleaded guilty to soliciting hate crimes and distributing bomb and ricin instructions.[1][3]
- He recruited via Telegram for mass attacks, including a New Year’s Eve scheme with poisoned Santa candy targeting racial minorities.[1][2]
- Plot shifted in January 2024 to poison Jewish schools and children in Brooklyn, with detailed ricin-making guides sent to an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent.[3]
- His “Hater’s Handbook” manifesto urged school shootings and boasted of murders for the white race, linking to real attacks like a Tennessee shooting.[1][2]
- Extradited from Moldova in May 2025, sentenced in Brooklyn federal court by Judge Carol Bagley Amon.[3]
Maniac Murder Cult Leadership and Recruitment
Michail Chkhikvishvili commanded Maniac Murder Cult, an international neo-Nazi group known as MKY, MMC, or MKU, from Tbilisi, Georgia.[1][3]
He traveled to Brooklyn in June 2022 and used Telegram starting July 2022 to recruit followers for violent acts against racial minorities, Jewish people, and others deemed undesirable.[2][3] Chkhikvishvili targeted an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation employee, directing bombings, arsons, and mass casualty events.[1]
His influence extended globally, with the group’s accelerationist ideology pushing lone actors toward societal chaos through terror.[1][2] Prosecutors tied his calls to violence to a January 2025 Antioch High School shooting in Tennessee, where the 17-year-old gunman invoked Chkhikvishvili’s moniker, and an August 2024 mosque stabbing in Turkey by a man displaying Nazi symbols.[2]
The Poisoned Santa Claus Plot Unfolds
In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili orchestrated a New Year’s Eve mass attack in New York City.[3] He instructed the undercover agent to dress as Santa Claus and distribute candy laced with poison to racial minorities.[1][2] The plan weaponized holiday innocence, aiming to maximize horror and casualties among children.[3]
By January 2024, Chkhikvishvili refined the scheme to strike Jewish communities in Brooklyn specifically.[2] He supplied precise manuals for crafting ricin and lethal gases, ensuring the agent could execute poisonings at Jewish schools.[1][3] This evolution highlighted his fixation on Jewish targets, aligning with Maniac Murder Cult’s anti-Semitic core.[2]
Hater’s Handbook and Ideological Reach
Since September 2021, Chkhikvishvili disseminated the “Hater’s Handbook” to cult members and prospects.[1] The manifesto glorified school shootings and mass violence “for the white race,” including his unsubstantiated claim of personal murders.[3] It served as a blueprint for recruits, fostering a network of aspiring killers.[2]
Common sense demands swift justice against such venom; Americans prize protecting innocents, especially children, from ideologues who pervert symbols like Santa to sow death.[1] The handbook’s role in inspiring attacks underscores why platforms must curb these digital poisoners before they radicalize the next lone wolf.[2]
DOJ X post announces the 15-year prison sentence of Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, leader of the neo-Nazi Maniac Murder Cult, for soliciting hate crimes and planning a mass casualty attack in New York City using poisons like ricin https://t.co/OoMSreXpl2
— Linda Gutierrez (@LindaGutie69264) May 13, 2026
Chkhikvishvili’s guilty plea in November 2025 admitted the solicitations and instructions, closing doors to defenses like mental health claims absent contrary evidence.[3] Extradition from Moldova demonstrated international resolve against transnational hate.[1]
Justice Delivered in Brooklyn Court
U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon sentenced Chkhikvishvili to 15 years in Brooklyn federal court.[2][3] Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg called him a monster scheming to terrorize communities, a verdict echoing the need to neutralize threats decisively.[1]
This case exposes vulnerabilities in encrypted apps where foreign extremists plot American carnage.[2] It reinforces that law enforcement’s undercover work thwarts plots, but vigilance against online manifestos remains essential to safeguard schools and streets.[3] Fifteen years locks away “Commander Butcher,” yet his digital echoes warn of copycats lurking.[1]
Sources:
[1] Web – Georgian National Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Soliciting …
[2] Web – Neo-Nazi who plotted to poison Jewish children gets 15-year …
[3] Web – Georgian National Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Soliciting …
