Jared Evan
Ian Smith, 33, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, owners of Atilis Gym, have been fined $130,000 and arrested for continuing to operate their business in defiance of Gov. Phil Murphy’s COVID-19 orders for indoor workout facilities to remain closed, however these insolent patriotic businessmen have not given up and now they found a loop hole, and will keep their gym open.
The gym owners revealed the new plans on Sunday morning’s “Fox & Friends,” announcing the gym will serve as U.S. Senate candidate Rick Mehta’s rally location.
“We took a stand for our constitutional rights and for the rights of all small business owners throughout the country,” Smith said.
“And it wasn’t intended to become political. We were trying to offer a solution to a problem where the government was failing, and it turned political. And that was because of Gov. Murphy’s actions. So now we made it political just as much as he has.”
Fox News reported:
The owners are leaning on the fact that state officials cannot interfere with a political campaign, declaring the gym a campaign rally location for candidate Mehta who is looking to unseat Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., but Trumbetti said that doesn’t mean local officials won’t try to shut their Bellmawr gym down again.
They hope that by slipping thru this loophole they can keep the gym open at least thru election time.
In late July, they were arrested for defying corona virus lockdown orders.
ABC reported:
Smith of Delanco Township and Trumbetti of Williamstown were each charged with fourth-degree contempt, obstruction, and violation of a disaster control act, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer. Both were released with disorderly person summonses, Mayer said in a statement to ABC News.
“After being released, Smith issued a statement on Facebook saying, “Welcome to America 2020, where feeding your family and standing up for your Constitutional rights is illegal.”
“They took Frank and I away and boarded up our private place of business,” Smith said, adding a video of him and Trumbetti being handcuffed outside the gym. “This is gonna be fun in court. If this does not alarm you, your part of the problem. Please share and repost, let us make these idiots answer for their power trip.”
The 2 were so determined to keep their business open, a few days after their arrest, they kicked in the boarded-up doors of their business. They kept the gym open until the Bellmawr Borough Council voted 5-to-1 to rescind Atilis’ business license, shortly after they were fined $130,000.
The big government authoritarian judge Robert Lougy levied additional small business crushing fines upon the gym mainly an additional $15,497.76 per day that it remains open in violation of the governor’s order, Smith said. This was a week ago.
The actions of Ian Smith, 33, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, have been praised by libertarians and conservatives. Businesses are being strangled by draconian lock down laws, and few have had the courage to be arrested and fined, yet still persist to defy laws they find unconstitutional.
