Alex Jones criticized for spending $93K in July as Sandy Hook families owed $1.5B have yet to see a dime
The radio show host was ordered last year to pay nearly $1.5 billion to Sandy Hook victims' families
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Alex Jones, who was ordered by a Connecticut judge last year to pay nearly $1.5 billion to families of victims of the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, continues to live a lavish life with expenses reportedly over $93,000 in July, yet families have yet to see a dime.
The Infowars founder was ordered by a jury on Oct. 12, 2022, to pay the families of the victims of the massacre that left six adults and 20 children dead, and an FBI agent nearly $1 billion, and the following month he was ordered to pay an additional $473 million. Jones and Free Speech Systems were ordered to pay the money after telling millions of listeners on his show that the shooting was a hoax, and the victims were actors hired as part of a scheme to get more gun control laws in place.
The Associated Press reported that Jones continues to tell his audience of his money problems, pleading for them to buy his products, though documents filed by the conspiracy theorist and his lawyers monthly show a different story.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Infowars founder Alex Jones testifies at the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., Sept. 22, 2022. (Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool/File)
According to those filings, Jones has a net worth of about $14 million, and in July, his personal spending exceeded $93,000, which included thousands of dollars on meals and entertainment.
A Connecticut lawyer representing the families of the victims said the July filing has them a bit disturbed, as they continue to seek the $1.5 billion they were awarded in the lawsuits last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It is disturbing that Alex Jones continues to spend money on excessive household expenditures and his extravagant lifestyle when that money rightfully belongs to the families he spent years tormenting," attorney Christopher Mattei told the AP. "The families are increasingly concerned and will continue to contest these matters in court."
Lawyers for the families said in a filing Aug. 29, that if Jones does not reduce his expenses to a "reasonable" level, they will ask the bankruptcy judge to have a trustee appointed to oversee his spending, bar him from "further waste of estate assets," or have the bankruptcy case dismissed.
ALEX JONES ORDERED TO PAY NEARLY $1 BILLION TO FAMILIES OF SANDY HOOK MASSACRE VICTIMS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Alex Jones, left, arrives at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas, July 26, 2022. (Briana Sanchez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool/File)
On his show Tuesday, Jones continued to claim he was doing nothing wrong, saying he likes to go to nice restaurants and likes to go on a couple nice vacations a year, adding he thinks he had earned those things "in this fight."
Along with his plea for ignorance, Jones continued to ask his audience to donate money for his legal expenses.
The AP broke down Jones’ spending in July, saying it was up from the nearly $75,000 he spent in April, and included a monthly payment to his wife, Erika Wulff Jones, for $15,000. Jones said he is required to pay the money to his wife under a prenuptial agreement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ALEX JONES TRIAL: INFOWARS MUST PAY SANDY HOOK VICTIM JESSE LEWIS' FAMILY $4 MILLION
Alex Jones at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas, July 26, 2022. (Briana Sanchez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool/File)
Also in July, he spent $7,900 on housekeeping, $6,300 on meals and entertainment – not groceries – and another $5,600 on his vehicles and boats.
In December 2022, Jones filed for bankruptcy, which delayed payments to the families until a federal bankruptcy court judge can decide how much Jones can pay his creditors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Compounding the challenges, lawyers for the families said it is difficult to track the Infowars host’s finances because he owns several companies and has several deals with corporate entities.
Jones continues to broadcast and is seeking approval from the courts to approve a contract that pays him $1.5 million a year plus incentive bonuses, which is nearly triple his current $520,000-a-year salary.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If he gets the salary increase, Jones said on Tuesday, he would be left with about $300,000 a year after paying his legal bills.
Jones’ net worth, according to financial documents filed by Jones and his attorneys, is about $14 million, and his assets include a $2.6 million home, $2.2 million ranch, $1.8 million lake home, $500,000 rental property, and four vehicles and two boats worth $330,000.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.