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Leader of White Supremacist Group Pleads Guilty to Soliciting Hate Crimes and Sending Instructions to Make Bombs and Ricin

11/17/2025 07:00 AM EST

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.

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