Alex Jones may have more than civil penalties to worry after he finishes his $150 million defamation case brought by the parents of a six-year-old slain at Sandy Hook Elementary school – he could be looking at prison time for perjury.
Jones, who was sued for defamation by the family of Jesse Lewis for spreading false theories that the massacre was a hoax, claimed he had turned over all text and cell phone information pertinent to the case.
But Mark Bankston, the lawyer for parents, revealed Jones’s lawyer accidentally sent two years of the conspiracy theorist’s text messages that appear to directly contradict his sworn testimony.
‘I’d be very concerned if I were Mr. Jones’s lawyers,’ Dallas attorney William Dippel told DailyMail.com.
The inconsistency in the testimony could serve to undermine Jones’s credibility in the civil case, but legal experts say he exposed himself to a perjury charge that could carry up to 10 years in prison in Texas.
Alex Jones appears to be dumbstruck by the revelation that his lawyer accidentally sent two years worth of text messages that the InforWars hosted had denied having
Mark Bankston, the lawyer for the parents of a six-year-old Sandy Hook Massacre victim, dropped a bombshell that he had evidence that Alex Jones perjured himself
Neil Heslin, father of Sandy Hook Victim Jesse Lewis, 6, said his family’s life had been turned to a ‘living hell’ after Alex Jones spread conspiracy theories about the massacre
F. Andino Reynal, pictured, looks over text messages that he had accidentally sent to the opposition lawyers in the defamation case against Alex Jones
‘You were ordered to turn over any text messages regarding Sandy Hook, right?’ Bankston asked a sweating, twitchy Jones on the witness stand.
‘Yes,’ Jones replied.
‘And you said that you didn’t have any, right?’ Bankston continued.
‘Not that we could find,’ Jones said.
‘You, in fact, told me in your sworn testimony that you had searched, right?’ the lawyer said. Legal experts said Wednesday that it’s pretty clear case of perjury.
Jesse, 6, was one of the 26 victims shot and killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. His parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis have both testified against Jones in the trial
‘I’d be very concerned if I were Mr. Jones’s lawyers,’ Dallas attorney William Dippel told DailyMail.com.
There are two kinds of perjury in Texas, misdemeanor perjury which involved making a false statement under oath.
Aggravated perjury, a felony, must happen during an official proceeding and must involved an issue that would effect the outcome of the case.
‘Clearly this is an official proceeding, any courtroom is an official proceeding,’ Dippel said. ‘It sounded to me like it could be aggravated perjury because it had to do with whether or not he turned over discovery,’ the Dallas lawyer said.
There seems to be very little wiggle room, according to Dippel.
‘It’s hard for him to say that he didn’t know he wasn’t telling the truth because he had the judge reminding throughout his testimony,’ Dippel said. ‘It’s difficult for him to say that he accidentally perjured himself.
Jones repeatedly claimed that the 2012 massacre, which left 20 students and six teachers dead, was a ‘hoax’ and had been ‘staged’
The January 6 House Committee will subpoena Alex Jones’ emails and text for any contact with Donald Trump after his lawyers mistakenly sent them to the lawyers of Sandy Hook parents.
Sources told Rolling Stone that the committee is preparing to request the data from Jones’ attorneys after it was revealed they sent emails and texts to Sandy Hook families despite swearing under oath that the messages didn’t exist.
The sources added that the committee began discussing how to get the messages within minutes after Sandy Hook lawyer Mark Bankston made the revelation in court on Wednesday.
Bankston was also caught on hot mic speculating what the news of the messages would mean for Jones and the January 6 committee.
‘There’s going to be months of fallout from this,’ he said. ‘You know what no one’s thought about yet? What happens when that phone goes to law enforcement?’
Jones previously testified that he was unable to find any emails regarding the Sandy Hook massacre, and was shocked when one was shown on screen to the court.
Jones was asked if he felt repeatedly claiming the shooting was a hoax was irresponsible, replying ‘it was, especially since I’ve met the parents.’
He claimed he was ‘under a lot of pressure’ at the time he claimed the slayings were a hoax, adding: ‘I truly meant it when I said those statements.
‘When I say something, I mean it, that I really could believe that it was totally staged, that point.’
But the parents of Jesse Heslin, 6, who was among the 26 people killed in the 2012 attack at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, have said an apology will not be enough.
Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis said that Jones needed to be held accountable for repeatedly spreading falsehoods about the shooting, and are seeking at least $150million.