Federal authorities charged a man nicknamed “Commander Butcher” with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence after uncovering an alleged plot to have an individual wearing a Santa Claus costume hand out poisoned candies to Jewish kids in New York, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
The Georgian national was arrested under an Interpol order on July 6 in Moldova, where he is being held, according to John Marzulli, a spokesperson for the Eastern District. Marzulli did not respond to questions about whether Chkhikvishvili would be extradited to the U.S.
Chkhikvishvili, 20, faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted; 20 years for soliciting violent felonies; 5 years for conspiring to solicit violent felonies; 20 years for distributing information on making explosives; and 5 years for sending threatening messages, according to the Justice Department.
“As alleged, the defendant sought to recruit others to commit violent attacks and killings in furtherance of his Neo-Nazi ideologies,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “His goal was to spread hatred, fear, and destruction by encouraging bombings, arson, and even poisoning children.”
Marzulli declined to offer any additional comment for the story. Chkhikvishvili could not be reached.
‘It hit the panic alarm’:Trans teen’s killing in Pennsylvania shocks LGBTQ+ community
Maniac Murder Cult
The group is based in Russia and Ukraine but has members around the world, including the U.S., the agent writes in the federal complaint that led to his arrest. Members adhere to neo-Nazi ideology promoting violence against racial minorities.
Members use an encrypted social media platform based outside the U.S. and not named in the complaint to communicate and share videos of violence, including beatings and stabbings. Leaders aimed to use the channels to recruit members experienced in explosives or biological weapons to plot mass terror attacks.
“I can proudly say I’ve murdered for white race and willing to bring more of chaos in this rotten world,” Butcher writes in the introduction. “Our main goal is to spread flames of Lucifer and continue his mission of ethnic cleansing, great drive of purification.”
Axis of hate groups
Chkhikvishvili also attempted to work with the leader of the Feuerkrieg Division, another hate group, who ultimately pleaded guilty to making death threats against a Brooklyn-based journalist in September 2023, according to court filings.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Nicholas Welker pleaded guilty to sending death threats against a New York journalist on Sep. 27, 2023. The California-based hate group leader was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in April.
Undercover agent
Among those Chkhikvishvili tried to incite violence and provided bomb-making instructions to was an undercover FBI agent, according to the federal complaint. The two corresponded between September 2023 and at least March 2024.
Chkhikvishvili tried to convince the agent to realize the Santa Claus plot and the plot to poison Jewish kids in Brooklyn, court filings say. He sent the agent what he called “murder vids” depicting graphic violence.
Part of the Santa Plot instructions described in the complaint included leaving out stockings stuffed with poisoned candies. The poison-making instructions came from the Mujahideen Poisons Handbook, a text linked to ISIS.
