Neo-Nazi Leader Sentenced for Plotting Poisoned Candy Attack on Minority Children

A Brooklyn federal judge sentenced Michail Chkhikvishvili, 22, to 15 years in prison on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty in November to soliciting hate crimes and to distributing instructions for making bombs and ricin. The conviction stems from a series of online solicitations that encouraged violent attacks against Jews, racial minorities, and children, including a scheme to hand out poisoned candy while dressed as Santa Claus.

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Prosecutors say the Maniac Murder Cult is a neo-Nazi network that spreads extremist content via Telegram and publishes a “Hater’s Handbook” detailing bomb-making, ricin synthesis, and other violent tactics. The handbook has been linked to attacks, including a school shooting in Nashville that killed a 16-year-old student. The group’s leader, Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 22-year-old Georgian aka “Commander Butcher,” recruited individuals worldwide to carry out hate-motivated crimes. His defense attorney, Zachary Taylor, argued that Chkhikvishvili suffered mental-health challenges and was influenced by violent online material.

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• 2021: Distribution of the “Hater’s Handbook” to members and affiliates.

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• 2022: Chkhikvishvili travels to Brooklyn and begins urging others to commit hate crimes.

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• 2023: He solicits an undercover FBI operative to conduct bombings and arsons targeting minorities.

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• 2024: The operative is instructed to poison Jewish schools and children in Brooklyn; Chkhikvishvili is arrested in Moldova on an international warrant.

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• Nov 2024: He enters a guilty plea.

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• May 2025: Sentencing to 15 years.

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Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said the defendant repeatedly called for the murder of innocent civilians, including children, and attempted to recruit a person to distribute poisoned candy to minority children. Prosecutors emphasized that the “Hater’s Handbook” and the group’s online propaganda have fueled extremist violence across the United States.

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Defense counsel Zachary Taylor requested a five-year sentence, citing Chkhikvishvili’s mental-health struggles and the harsh conditions of his Moldovan confinement. Taylor asserted that his client has since reformed and expressed remorse for authoring extremist material.

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• “I acknowledge that my actions have brought harm by spreading hatred and violence and I’m truly sorry for that,” — Michail Chkhikvishvili, letter to the judge

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• “I’m very ashamed authoring Haters Handbook, hoping one day it will disappear, I wish I never wrote it,” — Michail Chkhikvishvili, letter to the judge

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• “Chkhikvishvili, for example, tried to recruit a supposed associate to dress up as Santa Claus and pass out poisoned candy to minority children.” — John Eisenberg, statement

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• “repeatedly called for the murder of innocent civilians, including children, and schemed to attack and terrorize Jewish communities and racial minorities in the United States,” — John Eisenberg, statement

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