'Commander Butcher' pleads guilty in NY to plotting to hand out poisoned candy to kids

The person of an Eastern European neo-Nazi radical pleaded blameworthy successful New York to recruiting others to transportation retired convulsive attacks against Jews and radical minorities — including a crippled to formal arsenic Santa Claus and manus retired poisoned candy to children.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, 22, of the Republic of Georgia, who goes by "Commander Butcher," admitted Monday successful Brooklyn national tribunal to soliciting hatred crimes and sharing instructions for making bombs and ricin. 

Federal prosecutors accidental Chkhikvishvili led the Maniac Murder Cult, an extremist radical advocating unit to spark a radical and spiritual war. He was extradited from Moldova to the Eastern District of New York successful May.

"With today’s blameworthy plea, this suspect admits to a horrific crippled targeting Jewish radical and radical minorities and adjacent planned to poison children with candy astir the holidays," FBI Director Kash Patel said successful a DOJ property release.

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Michail Chkhikvishvili, 22, is seen successful photos provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. (Department of Justice)

Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn successful June 2022 and soon began urging others — chiefly via the encrypted app Telegram — to perpetrate convulsive hatred crimes for the group. He repeatedly solicited mass‑violence attacks from idiosyncratic who turned retired to beryllium an undercover FBI employee, prosecutors said.

Since astatine slightest 2021, helium had circulated a manifesto, the "Hater’s Handbook," which encourages wide violence, including schoolhouse shootings.

Federal prosecutors said Chkhikvishvili could look up to 40 years successful prison. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

By November 2023, prosecutors say, helium was directing the undercover cause to transportation retired bombings and arsons targeting minorities and Jewish communities. That month, helium devised a New Year’s Eve wide casualty onslaught successful New York City involving a Santa‑clad assailant handing retired poison‑laced candy. In January, helium shifted the crippled to targeting Jewish schools, communities, and children successful Brooklyn and sent elaborate instructions for creating lethal toxins, including ricin.

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Federal officials accidental his rhetoric inspired real‑world attacks. 

In January 2025, a 17‑year‑old gunman opened occurrence wrong Antioch High School successful Nashville, sidesplitting 1 pupil and wounding different earlier shooting himself. The attacker claimed to enactment connected behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult and different groups.

In January 2025, a schoolhouse shooting astatine Antioch High School successful Nashville near 1 pupil dormant and different wounded. The shooter, a 17-year-old student, had claimed to enactment connected behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult and different groups. (X/ @MNPDNashville)

In August 2024, an attacker successful Eskisehir, Turkey, livestreamed himself stabbing respective radical extracurricular a mosque portion wearing a vest with Nazi symbols. His manifesto cited Chkhikvishvili and linked to the "Hater’s Handbook" and different propaganda.

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Chkhikvishvili faces a maximum condemnation of 40 years successful prison, the DOJ said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.