From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Neo-Nazi who plotted to poison Jewish children gets 15-year sentence in NYC
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLuke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
A federal court in New York City sentences a neo-Nazi from the country of Georgia to 15 years in prison for crimes, including a plot to poison Jewish children.
Michail Chkhikvishvili, 22, is a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international white supremacist group that follows neo-Nazi ideology, prosecutors said.
Chkhikvishvili, who uses the moniker “Commander Butcher,” recruited followers to commit mass casualty attacks in New York City.
He had distributed a manifesto called the “Hater’s Handbook” that called on others to commit school shootings and other violent attacks “for the white race.”
One of the people he encouraged to commit the attacks was an undercover FBI agent.
In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili plotted a mass casualty attack set to take place on New Year’s Eve in New York City. He planned to have the assailant dress as Santa Claus and distribute poisonous candy to racial minorities.
In January 2024, he altered the plan and directed the FBI agent to target Jewish schools and Jewish children in Brooklyn with poison.
Chkhikvishvili sent detailed instructions to the agent about creating lethal poisons and gases, such as ricin.
Chkhikvishvili was extradited to the US from Moldova last year.
The Times of Israel Community.