- Alex Hartman was named as one of four accusers against Jones
- Jones strongly denied claims of inappropriate behavior
- He has threatened legal action against The Sydney Morning Herald
One of the few men who accused Alan Jones of inappropriate behavior has been revealed as a technology guru who is a scion of one of Australia's most influential families.
Alexander Hartman, the son of the retired Sydney North Shore midwife, died suddenly in 2019 at the age of 39 in Switzerland, where Hartman lived with his wife and two children.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday reported bombshell claims – strongly denied by Jones, one of Australia's most famous broadcasters – involving young men who had worked with the 2GB radio presenter, including Hartman.
Jones “vehemently” denied the allegations and said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that he plans to take defamation action against Nine's newspapers.
“In the short time available since publication, we have obtained substantial factual information that contradicts and refutes Mr. Jones' alleged pattern of conduct,” said a spokesperson for Jones' attorneys, Mark O'Brien Legal.
The report also shed light on the sad fate of Australian entrepreneur Hartman – founder of media distribution companies NewZulu and Matilda Media – who died young.
Mr. Hartman belonged to an influential family.
Alexander Hartman (above with Roxy Jacenko's sister Ruby Davis) died in his sleep in 2019. He was 39 and a father of two
Hartman (above, with Ice T) was a corporate high-flyer in the technology industry who reportedly made claims about Alan Jones before his death
He was the son of the famous Dr. Keith Hartman and the older brother of John Hartman, who was jailed for insider trading along with his business partner, Roxy Jacenko's husband Oliver Curtis.
In 2007, while Alexander was working as a social media manager for celebrities and politicians, 21-year-old John Hartman and Oliver Curtis secretly began insider trading.
John Hartman was sentenced to 15 months in prison for insider trading in 2010 and was the prosecution's star witness in Oliver Curtis' criminal trial in 2016.
Meanwhile, Alexander Hartman had hired Roxy Jacenko's sister, Ruby Davis, as 'Director of Celebrity' at his media company NewZulu.
They maintained a friendship even after she left the company and when Oliver Curtis was jailed for 12 months for insider trading in June 2016.
Curtis (above with his wife Roxy Jacenko) was jailed in 2016 based on the evidence of his former elite private schoolmate, John Hartman – Alexander's brother
Oliver Curtis walked out of Cooma prison in 2017 after serving a year for insider trading with his ex-school friend from Riverview, when the then 21-year-old was living the high life with $1.4 million in illicit cash
Alex Hartman was appointed to the board of the National Museum of Australia in the same year.
He moved to Europe and worked for the Keep Fighting Foundation of disabled former racing driver Michael Schumacher.
In October 2019, Mr Hartman's family released a statement saying the father-of-two had died 'peacefully' while sleeping next to his wife, Domitella, in their Geneva home.
Of the allegations made against Hartman on Thursday, Jones' lawyers said they had taken the first steps in the form of defamation against The Sydney Morning Herald.