Justice Department: “Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as ‘Mishka,’ ‘Michael,’ ‘Commander Butcher,’ and ‘Butcher,’ pleaded guilty to soliciting hate crimes and sending instructions to make bombs and ricin. Chkhikvishvili was a leader of Maniac Murder Cult, an international racially motivated violent extremist group. Chkhikvishvili recruited people to commit violent acts in furtherance of Maniac Murder Cult’s ideologies, including planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack in New York City. In May 2025, Chkhikvishvili was extradited from Moldova to the Eastern District of New York”

“In June 2022, Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn, New York. Beginning as early as July 2022, Chkhikvishvili repeatedly encouraged others, primarily via the encrypted messaging application Telegram, to commit violent hate crimes and other violence on behalf of Maniac Murder Cult.”

“This included soliciting acts of mass violence in New York from an individual who, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, was an undercover FBI employee (the UC). Beginning in approximately November 2023, Chkhikvishvili solicited the UC to commit violent crimes, such as bombings and arsons, for the purpose of harming racial minorities, Jewish individuals and others. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili began planning a mass casualty attack in New York City to take place on New Year’s Eve. The scheme involved having an individual dress up as Santa Claus and hand out candy laced with poison to racial minorities. In January, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the UC to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn with poison. Chkhikvishvili sent detailed manuals about creating and mixing lethal poisons and gases, including ricin. Chkhikvishvili faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.”