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Neo-Nazi Cult Leader Pleads Guilty in Brooklyn to Hate-Crime Solicitation and Bomb, Ricin Instructions

The plea follows a cross-border FBI case that combined an undercover sting with Moldova’s extradition to thwart planned mass attacks.

FILE - The Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office, Oct. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)
Exterior view of the US Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn.
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The neo-Nazi leader, who wrote a manifesto called the "Haters Handbook," pleaded guilty in Brooklyn to spearheading a bizarre murder plot to dress as Santa and give poison candy to minority children on New Year's Eve. (U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York/TNS)

Overview

  • Michail Chkhikvishvili, 22, admitted in federal court to soliciting racially motivated violent crimes and transmitting instructions to make bombs and the poison ricin.
  • Prosecutors say he led the Maniac Murder Cult and orchestrated a New Year’s Eve scheme involving a Santa costume and poison-laced candy, later directing targets at Jewish schools and children in Brooklyn.
  • He used encrypted Telegram channels to recruit attackers and unknowingly plotted with an undercover FBI employee posing as a follower.
  • Authorities link his propaganda, including the “Hater’s Handbook,” to real-world violence, citing a 2025 Nashville school shooting and a 2024 stabbing outside a mosque in Turkey.
  • He faces up to 40 years in prison under the statutes, with media reporting a guideline estimate of roughly 14 to 17½ years and a March 9 sentencing date.