FBI Uncovers Chilling Poison Candy Scheme

Facade of a government building with the words Law and Justice and a statue on top

A Georgian neo-Nazi who recruited followers to poison Jewish children and detonate bombs in New York City now sits behind bars for 15 years, marking a major victory for federal law enforcement in dismantling international extremist networks that threaten American families.

At a Glance

Michail Chkhikvishvili, leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, pleaded guilty to soliciting hate crimes and distributing instructions for bombs and ricin poison ^[1]
He recruited an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent to execute a mass casualty attack in New York City, including a plan to dress as Santa Claus and distribute poisoned candy to minority children ^[1]
Chkhikvishvili distributed a “Hater’s Handbook” manifesto since 2021 encouraging school shootings and claiming personal murders “for the white race” ^[1]
His extremist ideology has been linked to real-world attacks, including a 2025 school shooting in Nashville and a 2024 stabbing at a mosque in Turkey ^[4]

International Extremist Sentenced for Targeting American Communities

On Wednesday, a federal court in Brooklyn sentenced 22-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili to 15 years in prison for orchestrating plots to attack and terrorize Jewish communities and racial minorities across the United States ^[1]. Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national operating under the alias “Commander Butcher,” led the Maniac Murder Cult, an international white supremacist organization that adheres to neo-Nazi ideology and promotes violence against groups it deems “undesirables” ^[1]. U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon handed down the sentence after Chkhikvishvili pleaded guilty in November 2025 to soliciting hate crimes and distributing detailed instructions for making bombs and ricin, a lethal poison ^[1].

Horrific Plots Against Children and Minorities

Beginning in November 2023, Chkhikvishvili solicited an undercover FBI agent to commit violent crimes, including bombings and arsons, as part of coordinated mass casualty attacks in New York City ^[1]. His schemes grew increasingly depraved. He initially planned a New Year’s Eve 2023 attack in which an assailant would dress as Santa Claus and distribute poisoned candy to racial minorities ^[1]. By January 2024, Chkhikvishvili altered the plot to directly target Jewish schools and Jewish children in Brooklyn with poison, providing the undercover agent with detailed instructions on creating lethal poisons and ricin gas ^[1]. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated: “Chkhikvishvili, a leader of the ‘Maniacs Murder Cult,’ 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” ^[1].

Manifesto Incited Real-World Violence

Since approximately September 2021, Chkhikvishvili distributed a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” to members of his cult and others online ^[1]. The document explicitly encouraged mass violence, including school shootings, and included Chkhikvishvili’s chilling assertion that he had “murdered for the white race” ^[1]. Prosecutors linked his incitement directly to deadly real-world attacks. In January 2025, a 17-year-old shooter killed one person at Antioch High School in Nashville before taking his own life, with investigators confirming the attacker referenced “Commander Butcher” and Chkhikvishvili’s ideology in a manifesto ^[4]. Additionally, in August 2024, a man livestreamed himself stabbing approximately five people outside a mosque in Turkey while wearing Nazi symbols, with authorities linking him to Chkhikvishvili’s network ^[2].

Neo-Nazi who plotted to poison Jewish children gets 15-year sentence in NYC

Michail Chkhikvishvili, 22, is a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international white supremacist group that follows neo-Nazi ideology. pic.twitter.com/F4BWvOyTtv

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) May 13, 2026

Extradition and Justice System Response

Chkhikvishvili was extradited from Moldova to the United States in May 2025 following a multinational investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York Police Department ^[1]. The investigation revealed the scope of his international operation and the imminent danger posed by his recruitment efforts. New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised the coordinated law enforcement effort: “As a leader of the white supremacist group ‘Maniac Murder Cult,’ this defendant concocted hate-fueled, mass-casualty plans and inspired others to commit attacks based on his vile rhetoric. This violent extremist’s intentions were clear: harm and kill as many Jews and racial groups as possible” ^[3]. The 15-year sentence removes a dangerous extremist from circulation and sends a clear message that the federal government will pursue international terror networks targeting Americans.