New York: Neo-Nazi sentenced to 15 years over plot to poison Jewish children
The Federal prosecutor described the defendant, known online as 'Commander Butcher,' as a 'dangerous extremist' who sought to 'spread hatred and violence against innocent people'
A federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday sentenced Georgian national Mikhail Chkhikvishvili, known online as “Commander Butcher," to 15 years in prison for leading the extremist group “Maniac Murder Cult.”
Prosecutors said Chkhikvishvili recruited followers online and encouraged them to carry out mass-casualty attacks in New York City, particularly targeting Jewish communities and racial minorities. Investigators uncovered several disturbing plots, including plans to poison children at Jewish schools in Brooklyn and a proposal in which an undercover FBI agent was allegedly asked to dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to minority children during the holiday season.
Federal prosecutor Joseph Nocella described the defendant as a “dangerous extremist” who sought to spread hatred and violence against innocent people, including children. Chkhikvishvili was convicted of soliciting hate crimes and distributing instructions for building explosive devices and producing the deadly toxin ricin.
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Judge Carol Bagley Amon said the sentence was based not on the defendant’s beliefs alone, but on his direct incitement to commit acts of terrorism and violence.
During the hearing, the 22-year-old appeared emotional as the sentence was handed down. Defense attorneys argued that he became radicalized after struggling with depression and bullying as a teenager. Prosecutors, however, maintained that his online propaganda — including a manifesto titled “The Hater’s Handbook” — inspired real-world violence across multiple countries.
Chkhikvishvili was extradited from Moldova to the United States in May 2025 following a multinational investigation led by the FBI and the New York Police Department, which authorities say prevented planned attacks from being carried out.
Court documents also linked his extremist network to a January 2025 shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, where a student killed one person and injured another before taking his own life. Investigators said the attacker referenced “Commander Butcher” and his ideology in a manifesto.
In a separate incident in Turkey in August 2024, a man who stabbed five people outside a mosque reportedly circulated Chkhikvishvili’s propaganda materials before the attack, underscoring what prosecutors described as the international reach and influence of the online extremist group.