It is looking from bad to worse for Infowars host Alex Jones as he and his company were ordered Thursday, by a judge to pay an additional $473 million to the families of the victims lost in the Sandy Hook massacre after promoting false conspiracy theories about the attack. 

This brings the total judgment against him to a staggering $1.44 billion. The punitive damages were imposed on Jones by Connecticut Judge Barabara Bellis after he told his millions of followers the massacre was staged by “crisis actors” in order to pass stricter gun laws. The attack in reality ended up killing 20 first graders and six teachers. 

Also Read | How Connecticut jury divided Alex Jones’ $965m in Sandy Hook shooting case

“The record clearly supports the plaintiffs’ argument that the defendants’ conduct was intentional and malicious, and certain to cause harm by virtue of their infrastructure, ability to spread content, and massive audience including the infowarriors,” the judge wrote in a ruling.

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, said that the judge’s order sends a message to conspiracy theorists who profit from spreading lies and falsehoods. “The Court recognized the ‘intentional, malicious … and heinous’ conduct of Mr. Jones and his business entities,” Mattei said in a statement. 

Jones called the award “ridiculous” and a “joke” on his show on Thursday, adding that he has little money to pay the damages.

Also Read | What did Alex Jones say about Sandy Hook school shooting?

“Well, of course I’m laughing at it,” he said. “It’d be like if you sent me a bill for a billion dollars in the mail. Oh man, we got you. It’s all for psychological effect. It’s all the Wizard of Oz … when they know full well the bankruptcy going on and all the rest of it, that it’ll show what I’ve got and that’s it, and I have almost nothing.”

He said that he had only a “couple hundred thousand dollars” in his savings account.

Also Read | Alex Jones: What is conspiracy theorist’s net worth?

Initially, Jones was ordered by a jury to pay $965 million to compensate the 15 plaintiffs for defamation, infliction of emotional distress, and violations of Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practices Act after eight victims and an FBI agent testified during a month-long trial about how they were threatened and harassed for years by shooting-deniers.

They recalled how they were confronted in the public by haters and strangers who showed up at their homes. They were also cyberbullied where they would receive hate mail and abusive messages on social media. This also included rape and death threats.