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InfoWars Host Sent Files With Child Porn in Sandy Hook Suit, Lawyers Say

Twelve emails containing embedded child pornography were among the more than 56,000 pieces of data handed to attorneys representing the families of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School by right-wing conspiracy theorist and InfoWars host Alex Jones.

WATERBURY, Conn. (CN) – Twelve emails containing embedded child pornography were among the more than 56,000 pieces of data handed to attorneys representing the families of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School by right-wing conspiracy theorist and InfoWars host Alex Jones.

The families sued Jones for defamation after Jones called the Dec. 14, 2012, massacre at the school a hoax. The emails turned up during the discovery process.

Attorneys for the Sandy Hook families turned the emails over to the FBI, while Jones took to the airwaves with his attorney Norm Pattis to accuse Chris Mattei – the former federal prosecutor who is now with Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder and representing the families – of planting the emails.

In court documents, attorney William Bloss of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder said Jones distorted what actually happened during the discovery process.

During the process of providing Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder with the metadata for the emails, the consultants identified an image that appeared to be child pornography and immediately contacted counsel, who immediately contacted the FBI.

“The FBI advised counsel that its review located numerous additional illegal images, which had apparently been sent to Infowars email addresses. When the FBI indicated it had completed its review, plaintiffs’ counsel advised attorney Pattis of the matter and arranged a joint telephone call with the United States Attorney’s Office,” Bloss wrote in a motion Monday.

“It is worth noting that if the Jones defendants had engaged in even minimal due diligence and actually reviewed the materials before production, they would have found the images themselves,” Bloss continued. “Because the Jones defendants did not do that, they transmitted images to the plaintiffs that if they were knowingly possessed is a serious federal crime.”

The emails that contained the child pornography were never opened by Jones or his staff, Pattis said on Jones’ show.

“Clearly they were intended as malware,” Pattis said. “As evil, intended internet communications.”

Pattis said some of the emails were directed at Jones and were “very hostile.”

Jones got very emotional during the show, which Bloss asked the court to review. Pattis asked Jones not to direct his anger at Mattei and to focus his anger on the unknown individuals who sent the emails.

However, Jones doesn’t take Pattis’ advice.

“You’re trying to set me up with child porn, I’ll get your ass. One million dollars, you little gang members. One million dollars to put your head on a pike,” Jones said during the broadcast.

Jones also said he can’t believe out of the hundreds of thousands of emails they are able to zero in on the ones that included child porn.

“What a nice group of Democrats. How surprising. What nice people. Chris Mattei. Chris Mattei. Let’s zoom in on Chris Mattei. Oh, nice little Chris Mattei,” Jones said while pounding a photo of Mattei with his fist.

Pattis said the FBI told him Jones is the victim in this situation.

The two sides will be in Waterbury Superior Court on Tuesday to address outstanding discovery issues and the comments Jones made about Mattei during the broadcast.

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