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Following his trial for defamation of the families of the children and school staff killed in the Sandy Hook massacre, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is using Valve Corp.’s Steam, the world’s largest digital distribution platform for PC games, to sell an Infowars-themed video game. Jones claims to have earned hundreds of thousands in revenue from the video game, yet he has refused to pay the Sandy Hook families. Alex Jones: NWO Wars also mirrors and cartoonishly repackages the conspiracy theorist’s regularly violent, hateful rhetoric despite the platform’s policies against hate speech.

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[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 209 points 9 months ago

I mean, why aren't his assets seized and bank accounts frozen at this point?

Or is it only the poor that have to pay their fines?

[-] andros_rex@lemmy.world 50 points 9 months ago

The court is trying. He’s just playing a lot of games. Lots of the money is held by his parents or hidden in different shell companies. The court established that he and InfoWars are basically the same thing as far as the money is concerned, so he’s been trying to start new shows and businesses to further complicate things.

Court orders don’t automatically happen or always get enforced. Going through a divorce right now - lawyer told me that even if I do get an order that some of the shared debts are paid, he can just not. I’d have to go back to court and still get dinged on my credit.

[-] ynthrepic@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

If you're poor though they just put you in jail while they figure that stuff out. If they figure it out.

[-] davepleasebehave@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

these days, if you say you are English they will lock you up in jail.

[-] StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago

Of all the things that never happened, this didn't happen the most.

[-] charonn0@startrek.website 4 points 9 months ago
[-] ynthrepic@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

That's honestly just worse if true. How is this not criminal? He doesn't go to jail unless the state is what he's ripped off? You know, the one by the people for the people?

[-] charonn0@startrek.website 3 points 9 months ago

The 1st Amendment presents a very high bar for criminal prosecution of speech.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

A bar over which he took off into fucking orbit! It's 100% because of rich, famous, right wing white guy privilege that he isn't in prison right now.

[-] charonn0@startrek.website 1 points 9 months ago

On the contrary, the more unpopular the speech, the higher the bar.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

There's unpopular and then there's "no way someone without his immense privilege could ever get away with saying the exact same things without being tried in criminal court."

This is without a doubt the latter.

[-] charonn0@startrek.website 1 points 9 months ago

There isn't even a criminal law to charge them with.

[-] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

How about harassment? Inciting violence? Reckless endangerment?

His disgusting crusade against the parents were undoubtedly all of those things and more.

[-] BobGnarley@lemm.ee 2 points 9 months ago

They will not. This is a civil case its not like he owes the IRS. Man you said that so confidently and its got like 20 upvotes while being so clearly and easily serachable to be proved completely false. Lol this thread is full of morons

[-] ynthrepic@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It may not apply to this case, but it certainly does apply in a wide way.

There is also this.

[-] kava@lemmy.world 48 points 9 months ago

There are lots of ways to hide money and protect your assets, and many of them perfectly legal.

Lot of it stems from laws made to protect regular people in debt (bankruptcy laws, getting rid of debtors prison, etc) but people with money use them too

Imo it's a worthwhile price. Otherwise credit cards would just take money straight from your wages if they could.

[-] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago

Not when one of his victims has terminal cancer and can't cash out because Jones is playing keep away through the courts.

[-] GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 15 points 9 months ago

The problem is, shitty people are always going to abuse the laws. The goal, or at least the purported goal, is to minimize how many people get hurt when the law is abused.

[-] SHADESLAYER_@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Because in the US we have laws. Thankfully so or armchair lawyer loons like you would be running a muck. It doesn't really matter if he's a shitbag, but you can't just fuck with people because you don't like them.

[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 60 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It doesn't matter if I like him or not.

Court has ruled he needs to pay the fine, but instead of paying he is spending more money and doing ridiculous stuff like making this game. He is going against his court order. That shouldn't be allowed. Any less wealthy person would have had their assets seized at this point.

Yes the US has laws, but he is breaking them.

[-] SHADESLAYER_@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It doesn't really matter though if he has a pending court fine and he chooses to spend his money on something else. If he fails to pay the fine, there are repercussions. But this simply isn't grounds for freezing someone's bank accounts.

It's not illegal to buy something while you have court fines due. It's stupid maybe, but not illegal.

[-] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago

Why is it stupid when he is already facing financial ruin?

[-] andxz@lemmy.world 28 points 9 months ago

He makes his living by fucking with people he doesn't like and he certainly got off easy compared to the damage he's caused.

[-] wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one 5 points 9 months ago

Found AJs account

[-] Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 9 months ago

He's jumping through all the hoops rich folks use to hide their money, which means the courts have to jump through the hoops to get at it, and the court system is slow by comparison.

this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2024
917 points (100.0% liked)

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