InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones moved millions from his media company after parents of children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre sued him for defamation, The Washington Post reports.
Jones, who has been ordered to pay hundreds of millions in damages in multiple trials, began moving millions out of his company, Free Speech Systems, into companies controlled by him and his family, according to the Post, potentially putting the funds out of reach of the plaintiffs.
Between August 2020 and November 2021, Free Speech Systems signed promissory notes for $55 million to cover what it called past debts to company called PQPR Holdings, which Jones controls with his parents.
PQPR had bought tens of millions of dollars in supplements that Jones then sold on his show.
More movement:
Earlier this year, Jones started paying his personal trainer $100,000 per week to help ship supplements and other merch, a Free Speech Systems attorney said in a court filing.
He also paid $240,000 to a company controlled by his sister that was listed as a “supplier or vendor.”
The payments pushed Free Speech Systems into bankruptcy in July, according to the court filings.
An accountant hired by Jones estimated that the company had $79 million in liabilities and only $14 million in assets.
What’s next?
A bankruptcy court will ultimately determine which creditors are paid and how much.
The court is looking at whether the transactions are legitimate.
Attorneys for Sandy Hook families in a Texas case said that PQPR is “not actually an independent business” and accused Jones of trying to shield his wealthy.
“In the middle of this lawsuit, they started documenting debts that had no evidence of existing beforehand,” Sandy Hook attorney Avi Moshenberg told the Post.
“If he wants to agree to some sort of terms that hold him accountable for all he’s done, we’ll be open to listening,” Moshenberg said. “Whether that means walking away from public life, to paying Sandy Hook families in full, the Sandy Hook families are not going to stop until Jones is held accountable.”
