WASHINGTON – Alex Jones, the far-right Infowars broadcaster and ally of former President Donald J. Trump, has spent 25 years and millions of dollars raising suspicions and challenging what he calls what he calls the federal “deep state”. Now, with his conspiracy empire at stake, Mr Jones is seeking government bailout.
Faced with monetary damages for smearing the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims, last week Mr Jones filed for emergency relief in federal bankruptcy court, a move that oversaw member from the Justice Department’s bankruptcy unit, Kevin Epstein, called the potential “abuse of the bankruptcy system.” ”
In his objection to Judge Christopher Lopez, Mr. Epstein said the petition appeared to be an attempt by Mr. Jones to delay the damages hearings and force the families to settle under the law. regulations, while retaining control of his business. He added that approving Mr Jones’ plan risked “intentionally stacking the deck against the most vulnerable creditors”.
The next day, Mr. Jones contact the Ministry of Justice, sought to share what he knew about the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Two people familiar with Mr Jones’ offer said a waiver deal looked unlikely.
Mr Jones’ moves come amid a growing recognition by some far-right conspiracy theorists that pushing the boundaries of legitimate public discourse carries heavy personal consequences. More than 200 of the approximately 800 people arrested after the January 6 riots pleaded guilty for fees. Ali Alexander, a “Stop Thieves” organizer who marched with Mr. Jones to the Capitol after Mr. Trump’s speech on January 6, has received a grand jury subpoena. and are cooperating with the Department of Justice investigation.
Mr Jones describes himself as a fearless truth-teller, defending the First Amendment against government efforts to silence him. But his responses to the January 6 investigation and the Sandy Hook lawsuits suggest he’s primarily concerned with protecting his livelihood. Sued by the families of 10 Sandy Hook victims for defamation, Mr Jones lost his case last year and is working to protect his assets from impending damages awards.
Even as he described his offer of cooperation, Mr Jones launched a series of false statements against the government. “My God!” he said on his show last week. “FBI and Justice Department fingerprints are on this damn thing, and you want to come ask me about it? You want to find out what really happened, why don’t you look in the damn mirror and you can tell me! ”
Mr. Jones, who launched his conspiracy theories along with advertisements selling supplements, doomsday food, videos and other items aimed at distrusting the government, was revenue of $56 million in 2021, one of his attorneys estimated last week.
After December 14, 2012, the shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Mr. Jones increased traffic to his Infowars Store while distributing lies that the massacre was a government-staged excuse for draconian gun control and that families are the “actors” of the plot. In 2018, the families of 10 Sandy Hook victims and an FBI agent involved in false statements sued Mr. Jones for defamation in four separate lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas.
During the four years of litigation, Mr. Jones received more than $1 million in court fines for falsifying court deadlines, evading court orders regarding documents and testimony, and submitting falsified business records. error or fabrication. In late 2021, judges in each trial ruled Mr Jones liable by default, a sweeping victory for the families. The juries will next decide how much Mr Jones must pay for damages, in trials that are expected to begin this week.
This month, attorneys for families in Texas file a separate lawsuit claimed that as the trials progressed, Mr Jones “conspired to transfer his assets to shell companies owned by insiders such as his parents, children and himself”, and claimed heavy financial loss. The lawsuit alleges Mr Jones withdrew $18 million from Infowars between 2018 and 2021, plus a $600,000 annual salary and collected $54 million to shell companies, moves “designed to be” designed to extract the assets of the debtor Jones to make them judgmental. ”
That lawsuit is ongoing. Mr. Jones’ attorney, Norm Pattis, did not respond to a request for comment.
The aftermath of Capitol Riot: Key developments
Then, on April 18, a week before juries were scheduled to decide on damages, Mr. Jones filed for bankruptcy. The Justice Department’s bankruptcy watchdog was quick to issue an objection, saying the filing appeared to be an attempt to prevent grand jury trials.
Supporting this view is the fact that Mr. Jones did not file for bankruptcy himself, even though he generates and controls all of Infowars’ income, and is the principal defendant in the Sandy Hook lawsuit. Instead, bankruptcy petitions were filed against three Infowars affiliates with no income, assets or employees.
Mark Schwartz, an Infowars bookkeeper and restructuring proponent, justified the move last week by saying bankruptcy for Mr Jones would “ruin his name”. and hurt his ability to sell.”
Mr. Jones wants the bankruptcy court to approve a $10 million settlement fund, to be divided among plaintiffs in several lawsuits brought against him. The implicit offer to the Sandy Hook family is to take their chance in a four-year litigation, or settle for a fraction of the estimated half a billion dollars that Mr. Jones and the misinformation empire His deviation has been earned since the murder of their loved one.
The family wants to see Mr. Jones answer in court.
On Wednesday, they filed a motion to dismiss his bankruptcy proposal. “These bankruptcies were filed to unduly delay these trials” and “attempts to liquidate the plaintiffs’ claims at this location rather than by a jury of our colleagues.” them,” the petition added, “They have no valid bankruptcy intent, and they should be dismissed with the prejudice of bad faith filings. “
Judge Lopez scheduled a bankruptcy meeting for Friday.
Katie Benner contribution report. Kitty Bennett research contributions.
