(Headline USA) The owner of a gym in Bellmawr, NJ, who defied extreme coronavirus lockdown orders by Gov. Phil Murphy, announced on Instagram that the state government has vacuumed all of his assets from his business’s bank account.
Ian Smith said in a video post that the State of New Jersey confiscated $165,000, the entirety of his assets, while litigation is still pending over the state’s assault on his business:
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Smith has waged a high-profile public campaign against Murphy’s draconian lockdown.
Despite the governor’s actions, New Jersey still remains among states with the highest COVID-19 rates for cases and casualties.
Smith sparred with Chris Cuomo on CNN in August over the necessity of Murphy’s measures in response to the virus.
“We’re being villainized as small businesses in general, that we’re responsible for the spread,” Smith told Cuomo. “But over 50% of the deaths are coming from places that are supposed to be under a governor’s control.”
At the time, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal recommended a daily $10,000 fine if Smith continued to reopen his gym.
“We are over 4 months into an economic shutdown that was supposed to be 14 days,” Smith said.
