In a Brooklyn, New York, courthouse, Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili entered his plea before the court. On November 15, 2025, Chkhikvishvili, also known as Commander Butcher, admitted to a 2023 plot he attempted to orchestrate in which a co-conspirator, dressed as Santa Claus, would distribute poisoned candy to “minority children” on New Year’s Eve 2023.
Communicating over the encrypted chat application Telegram, Chkhikvishvili conspired with others to lace the candy with deadly ricin poison on behalf of his group, the violent Maniac Murder Cult. To help the perpetrator in New York, Chkhikvishvili sent manuals that instructed the would-be attacker on how to create poisons and explosives. A common practice inside the extremist spaces that groups like MKY operate, these guides are meant to instruct and inspire followers to commit acts of violence.
