There could be good news on the horizon for New Jersey gym owners Ian Smith and Frank Trumbetti. Hirsh Singh, a candidate for governor in New Jersey just said that if he wins, he will grant pardons to all New Jerseyans who were fined and charged for non-violent COVID-19 infractions during the Murphy executive lockdown.
Trumbetti and Smith are now facing multiple criminal charges by the State of New Jersey for keeping their business open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith said that tens of thousands of customers have worked out in his gym since the pandemic began and there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 transmission within his gym during that period.
Related: Governor Murphy rejects CDC science, will keep New Jersey masked up indefinitely
During the Murphy lockdown, the two men were handcuffed and arrested, had their business license revoked and their doors were boarded up by local authorities. Now they are facing jail time and seven criminal contempt charges. They have been served with 80 local citations and were fined $15,000 per day for each day they remained open during the lockdown.
In April, Atilis Gym made a $1,600 donation to the Barstool Fund, run by Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy to help other small businesses affected around the country by the extended COVID-19 lockdowns.
Smith said he and Trumbetti plan to continue fighting and defending themselves against the actions taken by the Murphy administration and local officials.
Related: Murphy keeping New Jersey masked to pander to powerful food workers union