American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was sentenced this Thursday (10) to pay an additional US$473 million (R$2.5 billion) to the families of the eight victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. In October, the Justice had already determined the compensation of US$ 965 million – the total sum now reaches almost US$ 1.5 billion (R$ 8 billion).
The adjustment announced this Thursday concerns the expenses that the families had with their lawyers to sue Jones in court. Judge Barbara Bellis, of the Superior Court of Connecticut, also froze the conspirator’s personal assets, prohibiting him from making any financial transfers out of the country until the 2nd, when a new hearing on the case should take place.
Christopher Mattei, attorney for the families, welcomed the ruling and said it represents “the highest degree of blame and blame.” “Our hope is that this serves to reinforce the message of this case: those who profit from lies that target the innocent will face justice,” he added in a statement.
Linked to the rise of the conservative far-right in recent years, Jones, 48, has won an audience of millions as a radio host and communicator, spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories via Infowars and social media. He was also a regular guest on podcasts and shows on YouTube.
He is known for falsely claiming that the murder of 20 students and 6 educators at the elementary school in Connecticut was staged by the government and family members. In the massacre, which took place just before Christmas 2012, a 20-year-old man named Adam Lanza also killed his own mother, before killing himself.
Due to the lies told by Jones, the victims’ relatives suffered a decade of harassment and death threats from the conspiracyists’ followers, according to Mattei.
The broadcaster was also recently convicted in another libel suit brought against him by the parents of a six-year-old murdered in Sandy Hook. In August, a jury in Austin, Texas, ruled that he and his company must pay the couple $49.3 million. Jones’ lawyers said they hope to void most of the payment before it is approved by a judge, calling it excessive under state law.
Lawyers for the eight families argue that the conspirator profited for years from the lies about the massacre, which generated traffic to his website. The engagement, in fact, would have boosted the sale of its products, including dietary supplements. Legal documents show that his ventures made more than $165 million between 2015 and 2018.
According to lawyers for the families, Jones was aware that every time he spread lies about the massacre, sales of his products increased — creating a profitable pattern.
Even so, it is uncertain whether he, in fact, is able to pay the very high compensation stipulated by the Justice. According to The New York Times, a forensic economist estimated in August that Jones’ fortune was at most $270 million.
In addition, both Infowars and its parent company, Free Speech Systems, recently filed for bankruptcy. The families claim this is a way for Jones to avoid paying damages. Corporate finances are not public.
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