Charges Dropped Against New Jersey Gym Owner Who Defied Strict COVID Lockdown Rules

‘I am thrilled to announce that we have achieved a major victory in the long, hard fight against the State,’ said Atilis Gym co-owner Ian Smith.

Ian Smith, co-owner of Atilis Gym in New Jersey, at a Freedom Plaza rally in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020. The Epoch Times

The owner of a gym in New Jersey who shot to national attention after defying COVID-19 restrictions by keeping his gym open has had all charges against him dropped.

Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, said in a statement on the social media platform X on May 18 that the more than 80 charges against him and the gym’s co-owner Frank Trumbetti have been dropped with prejudice, meaning they cannot be revisited or refiled.