Alex Jones net worth: Conspiracy theorist liable for defamation in Sandy Hook case
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been found guilty in all four defamation cases against him filed after he claimed that the Sandy Hook school massacre was a "giant hoax" that was orchestrated to increase gun control. Families of eight people killed by Adam Lanza sued Jones claiming that he profited from painting a false narrative about their loved ones. Jones was asked to turn in certain documents including his financial records which he didn't while disputing the claims. It is yet to be determined how much in damages he and the other defendants might have to shell out. Juries in Connecticut and Texas will decide during the trials scheduled for next year.
On December 14, 2012, the then-20-year-old Lanza killed 20 first-grade students and six teachers at the school. Before leaving to carry out the killings, he fatally shot his mother at home. He pointed the gun to himself and pulled the trigger after the police arrived at the scene. Jones' conviction in all four cases is a victory for the parents of the eight victims who lost their lives. The recent conviction from November 15 combines with three rulings in Texas from October which found Jones liable for damages in defamation lawsuits that stemmed from his comments on his 'Infowars' show.
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What is Alex Jones' net worth?
Alex Jones spoke about the Sandy Hook tragedy on his 'Infowars' show describing it as a fraud event. He said the families of the dead were "crisis actors" who were hired to propagate a government agenda to increase and tighten gun control. Jones has since acknowledged that the school shooting was a real event that impacted the community as a whole. According to Hartford Courant, superior court judge Barbara Bellis issued a default in the lawsuits in the morning on Nov 15 after years of what she found to be inappropriate conduct by Jones' attorneys regarding the depositions and the "callous disregard of their obligation" to submit financial records and web analytics data that was ordered by the court.
She has sent the case directly to a jury who will decide the award the families will receive without a civil trial. “Mr. Jones is very used to saying whatever he wants to say from the comfort of his own studio, but what I think this case has shown is that when he is forced to defend his conduct in a court of law and comply with court orders, that it’s a very different ballgame,” said attorney Chris Mattei, a lawyer representing the Sandy Hook families. “The fact that the court was left with no choice but to default him shows just how unwilling Mr. Jones was to have his conduct exposed to the light of day in front of a jury.”
While details of his finances remain undisclosed, most of his income is believed to be derived by the ads that run between his show. The Food and Drug Administration sent a warning to him in 2020 ordering him to stop falsely claiming that the toothpaste, mouth wash, and products from brands that sponsored his show can help prevent Covid-19. Associated Press reported that the agency stated that by making these claims Jones was "promoting illegal, unapproved drugs, which can carry financial penalties and risk product seizures by government agents."
Jones has been banned from all major social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, even Pinterest. However, he was reported to be active on e-commerce site Amazon where he continued to sell expensive dietary supplements such as "super male vitality" drops, "lung cleans plus spray" and "prostaguard" pills. He is supposed to have amassed a net worth of roughly $5 million through the sale of these dubious products.