‘Alex Jones will be hounded for the rest of his days for payment’: Conspiracy theorist could be imprisoned for trying to hide his assets after claims he transferred a house into his wife’s name and filed for bankruptcy preemptively
- A jury in Connecticut on Wednesday ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $965 million in damages for defaming families of Sandy Hook victims
- Jones was not in court, and instead was broadcasting live, telling listeners: ‘Ain’t no money. Do these people actually think they’re getting any of this money?’
- In July the Texas-based broadcaster filed for bankruptcy for his company, Free Speech Systems LLC
- In February, Jones transferred ownership of his $3 million main residence in Austin to his wife, Erica
- Legal experts predict a long drawn-out fight to seize Jones’s cash and assets, with one warning he could face prison if he is found to be hiding assets
Alex Jones will be ‘hounded for the rest of his days’ to surrender his assets, a leading legal expert has said – and could be imprisoned if he deliberately hides his wealth.
The right-wing conspiracy theorist was ordered by a Connecticut jury on Wednesday to pay at least $965 million in damages to numerous families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting for falsely claiming they were actors who faked the tragedy.
Jones was not in court on Wednesday, and instead was broadcasting live, telling his viewers he could not and would not pay the damages.
‘Ain’t no money,’ he told his Infowars fans.
‘Do these people actually think they’re getting any of this money?’
Alex Jones is pictured on Wednesday during his Infowars broadcast, claiming he has no money
Jones’ lawyers said he planned to appeal, and during his Texas trial on the same issue Jones said he would be unable to pay any more than $2 million.
Yet analysts say that the 48-year-old is worth hundreds of millions, and note he has been taking steps to shield his fortune.
Infowars’ finances are not public, but according to trial testimony the site brought in revenue of $165 million between 2016 and 2018.
An economist in the Texas case estimated that Jones is personally worth between $135 million and $270 million.
His fortune has only grown amid the publicity of the trials, and Infowars’s sales have increased about 50 percent since the trial in Austin, Texas, to nearly $1 million per week, Jones’s representatives told the bankruptcy court.
Jones’s online pleas to his followers have also resulted in millions of dollars in donations, including $8 million in cryptocurrency given to him by a supporter, the families’ lawyers said.
The provocateur appears to have known he was in a precarious position.
In February he transferred ownership of his main home, a $3 million mansion in Austin, Texas, to his wife Erica.
He still owns a $1.8 million vacation home, 20 miles from his main residence.
The 1,580 sq ft property is situated on six acres of land and was designed by renowned architect Christopher Alexander.
It has a basketball court, sauna, outdoor dining area, a courtyard, and a private boat dock.
Jones’ $3 million home in Austin, Texas. In February he transferred ownership to his wife Erica
This six acre estate, 20 miles from Jones’ Austin home, is still owned by the broadcaster, it is believed
Jones is seen on August 3 during his Texas trial
In July, Free Speech Systems LLC, Jones’ company, filed for bankruptcy – which may limit the total money available to Sandy Hook families.
But they could seek other assets from Jones if a judge rules his company deliberately harmed them, according to Brian Kabateck, a plaintiffs’ attorney who was not involved in the case.
‘The underlying conduct was egregious, and that’s the kind of thing that could get you beyond the limits of the bankruptcy,’ Kabateck told Reuters.
Jones has not personally filed for bankruptcy but the same principle would apply if he does, Kabateck said.
Another legal expert, Richard Signorelli, a former assistant U.S. Attorney at the Southern District of New York, agreed with Kabateck, and said that Jones could not escape the financial toll.
‘These awards are NOT dischargeable in a personal bankruptcy bc they are based on intentional tortious conduct,’ he tweeted.
‘Jones will be hounded for the rest of his days for payment and any efforts at hiding income/assets could be met with contempt sanctions including imprisonment.’
Another former U.S. Attorney, Harry Litman, told MSNBC that Jones would be effectively ruined.
‘We’re talking about such outsized numbers that even if he’s able to bob and weave some, I just don’t see how he winds up anything but basically broke now for the rest of his life,’ he said.
The verdict, which came after three weeks of testimony in a state court in Waterbury, Connecticut, far outstripped the $49 million Jones was ordered to pay in August by a Texas jury in a similar case brought by two other Sandy Hook parents.
The Connecticut verdict applies to both Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems LLC, the owner of Jones’ Infowars website.
The plaintiffs in the Connecticut case included more than a dozen relatives of 20 children and six staff members who were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.
Jones claimed for years that the massacre was staged as part of a government plot to take away Americans’ guns.
Jurors said the plaintiffs should also be awarded attorney’s fees, which are set to be determined in November.
Douglas E. Mirell, a lawyer and defamation expert who was not involved in the case, said the sizable verdict sent a clear message of ‘revulsion’ from the jury.
‘His refusal to own up to the mendacity and lies that he promulgated time and time again over many years has now caught up with him,’ Mirell said of Jones.
Jones’ lawyers have said they hope to void most of the payout in the Texas case before it is approved by a judge, calling it excessive under state law.
Connecticut does not place caps on damages, though Jones could appeal the verdict on other legal grounds.
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