BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – An alleged leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi group is accused of plotting to poison racial minorities and Jewish children in New York City with laced candy, according to federal prosecutors.
Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, allegedly part of the Maniac Murder Cult, was charged with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence, per the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was arrested in Moldova by Interpol on July 6.
Chkhikvishvili, 20, allegedly started planning a mass casualty attack in the city on New Year's Eve, with an associate dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out poison-laced candy to racial minorities, according to prosecutors. The scheme also involved giving poison-laced candy to children at Jewish schools in Brooklyn, per prosecutors.
He allegedly claimed he had committed hate crimes while living with his grandmother in Brooklyn in 2022, according to prosecutors. Chkhikvishvili is also accused of encouraging others to commit hate crimes on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult.
An undercover FBI agent helped to uncover Chkhikvishvili's alleged plot to poison people, per prosecutors.
The white supremacist group is believed to have members in the U.S. and abroad, according to prosecutors.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
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