A federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ′ personal assets and was still deciding on his company’s separate bankruptcy case. The decision could determine the future of his Infowars media platform, as Jones owes $1.5 billion for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax.

Judge Christopher Lopez approved converting Jones’ proposed personal bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation. He was still set to rule on whether Jones’ company, Austin, Texas-based Free Speech Systems, also should be liquidated.

It wasn’t immediately clear what will happen to Free Speech Systems, which is Infowars’ parent company.

Many of Jones’ personal assets will be sold off, but he is expected to keep his primary home in the Austin area and some other belongings that are exempt from bankruptcy liquidation. He already has moved to sell his Texas ranch worth about $2.8 million, a gun collection and other assets to help pay debts.

        • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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          5 months ago

          They aren’t.

          According to the most recent financial statements filed in the bankruptcy court, Jones’ $9 million in personal assets include his $2.6 million Austin-area home and other real estate. He listed his living expenses at about $69,000 for April alone, including about $16,500 for expenses on his home.

          But …

          Alex Jones is facing a new lawsuit in Texas over accusations that the Infowars host hid millions of dollars in assets after families of Sandy Hook victims began taking him to court. Source

          • Kowowow@lemmy.ca
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            5 months ago

            On his recent shows he’s trying to direct people to his dad’s store that sells the exact same products but is totally not related to infowars

            • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Totally not related, they just happen to sell the same products that he already sold. Total coincidence.

              Also, unrelated, he’s been selling supplements that his dentist dad has been making for years, so clearly there’s no relation to infowars.

              • Kowowow@lemmy.ca
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                5 months ago

                Also said he’ll have to have a word with his dad about the sale being too good, on air of course

  • Nobody@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Jones has cleverly rused investigators by taking payments directly from his advertisers in the form of worthless gold certificates and 55-gallon drums of penis enlargement cream.

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      In shell companies held by his parents, or whomever own “AEJ Holdings”, which could be literally anyone!

      spoiler

      Its Alex Emerick Jones

    • meco03211@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Honestly that might not be terrible. No way a sale like that would be able to go through without the courts tracking the money and pulling amounts for judgements.

      • shastaxc@lemm.ee
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        5 months ago

        Except that I’m sure the plaintiffs in the Sandy Hook case want to see Alex Jones suffer and struggle with financial hardship. I think the money is probably a secondary benefit to them. Nothing can fill the void left behind by what they lost.

  • Neato@ttrpg.network
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    5 months ago

    Are primary residences usually exempt from chapter 7 bankruptcy? I didn’t think they were.

    Also if his LLC is a sole proprietorship, or he owns 100% of it minus liens, then yes they should take that as well. If it was a company where he didn’t hold all shares/ownership, then they should just take his stake.

    • LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      LLCs can be pierced once it is proven in court that personal assets were purchased from LLC money. I’m not a lawyer but from what I have heard, you can not use LLC as your personal slush fund and hide behind limited liabilities of LLC

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I’m not a lawyer but from what I have heard, you can not use LLC as your personal slush fund and hide behind limited liabilities of LLC

        Unless your surname is Trump, of course.

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Also if his LLC is a sole proprietorship, or he owns 100% of it minus liens, then yes they should take that as well. If it was a company where he didn’t hold all shares/ownership, then they should just take his stake.

      The ownership of it is a huge mess, on purpose.

      Iirc: it’s officially owned by him and his dad, but part of his dad’s share is owned through another company that he, Alex Jones, owns and part of his own share is owned by a dummy third company that’s officially owned by a sponsor of the show but in reality Alex Jones is the owner…

      And that’s just the parts of it I remember! There’s SO much more deliberate obfuscation!

    • decerian@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I’m not sure the ownership situation of the company, but it is also independently in bankruptcy so I think that is being dealt with later

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    If they sell off his house, too, and shut down his “infowars” junk site, a good start has been made.