Florida men charged with selling bleach as COVID-19 ‘miracle cure’

By Josh K. Elliott Global News
Posted July 10, 2020 1:33 pm
Updated July 10, 2020 1:35 pm

A Florida man and his three adult sons are facing a slew of charges for allegedly using a phony church to sell bleach as a false “miracle” cure for many different ailments — including COVID-19, AIDS, cancer and autism — over the last decade.

The four men from Bradenton, Fla., hocked their “Miracle Mineral Solution” as a cure-all over the internet, while disregarding health warnings and a court order to halt their activities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The substance, which was also labelled “Master Mineral Solution,” was sold through a non-religious entity called Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, according to the criminal complaint.

The “Solution” was a mixture of water and sodium chlorite, a chemical that turns into a powerful, industrial-strength bleach when swallowed according to instructions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says. The suspects urged their customers to drink the chemical as part of their sales pitch, according to the criminal complaint.

Self-styled “bishop” Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons Jonathan Grenon, 34, Joseph Grenon, 32, and Jordan Grenon, 26, were charged on Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act and criminal contempt. They face a maximum of between 14 and more than 17 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

Mark Grenon denounced the allegations as a violation of his First Amendment rights in a video posted on his website Thursday.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Father and Sons Charged in Miami Federal Court with Selling Toxic Bleach as Fake “Miracle” Cure for Covid-19 and Violating Court Orders

Defendants Allegedly Attempted to Avoid Government Regulation by Selling Products Through a Company They Deceptively Named Genesis II Church

Miami, Fl. – Federal prosecutors in Miami have charged four Florida residents who allegedly marketed “Miracle Mineral Solution,” a toxic bleach, as a cure for COVID-19, with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Catherine Hermsen, Assistant Commissioner of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, made the announcement.

According to the criminal complaint affidavit, Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan Grenon, 34, Jordan Grenon, 26, and Joseph Grenon, 32, all of Bradenton, Florida, manufacture, promote, and sell Miracle Mineral Solution (“MMS”), a chemical solution containing sodium chlorite and water. The Grenons allegedly directed their customers to ingest MMS orally, which causes the solution to become chlorine dioxide, a powerful bleach, typically used for industrial water treatment or bleaching textiles, pulp, and paper. FDA has received reports of people requiring hospitalizations, developing life-threatening conditions, and dying after drinking MMS.

According to the affidavit, the Grenons claim that MMS can treat, prevent, and cure COVID-19. The FDA, however, has not approved MMS for treatment of COVID-19, or for any other use. Rather, in prior official warning statements, the FDA has strongly urged consumers not to purchase or use MMS, explaining that drinking MMS is the same as drinking bleach and can cause dangerous side effects, including severe vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure. See https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/danger-dont-drink-miracle-mineral-solution-or-similar-products.

The affidavit also alleges that, before marketing MMS as a cure for COVID-19, the Grenons marketed MMS as a miracle cure-all for dozens of other serious diseases and disorders, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, autism, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS, even though the FDA had not approved MMS for any use. The Grenons allegedly sold tens of thousands of bottles of MMS nationwide, including to consumers throughout South Florida. They sold this dangerous product under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (“Genesis”), an entity they allegedly created in an attempt to avoid government regulation of MMS. According to the charging documents, Genesis’ own websites describe Genesis as a “non-religious church,” and Defendant Mark Grenon, the co-founder of Genesis, has repeatedly acknowledged that Genesis “has nothing to do with religion,” and that he founded Genesis to “legalize the use of MMS” and avoid “going [ ] to jail.”

In addition to charging these defendants with federal conspiracy, the complaint also charges the Grenons with criminal contempt. The United States previously filed a civil case against the defendants and Genesis II Church of Health and Healing. ...

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