A Miami federal court has handed down convictions to a father and his three sons for their involvement in a scheme to sell toxic bleach as a fraudulent cure for COVID-19. Mark Grenon, 65, and his sons Jonathan, 37, Joseph, 35, and Jordan, 29, were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the US government and FDA. They had been distributing an unapproved and misbranded drug disguised as a ‘miracle cure’ through a fake church. The Grenons face charges that could result in up to five years in prison for conspiracy and potential life imprisonment for contempt. Sentencing is scheduled for October 6th in Miami.
The family began selling a product called Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) back in 2010. MMS is a chemical solution containing sodium chlorite that, when combined with water and a citric acid activator, transforms into chlorine dioxide. They distributed the product through a website posing as a church, targeting thousands of people across the US. These sales continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, authorities took action against the enterprise after the Grenons refused to comply with FDA orders to stop distributing the toxic substance. The defiance of the court order eventually led to criminal charges and a raid on their home in Bradenton, Florida, where authorities discovered loaded guns, nearly 10,000 pounds of sodium chlorite powder, and thousands of bottles of MMS. Jonathan and Jordan were apprehended in Bradenton, while Joseph fled to Colombia and was later extradited.
The Grenons represented themselves at the two-day trial, choosing to wear beige prison uniforms. They maintained their silence until the jury delivered their verdict, following which Joseph informed the court that they would be appealing. Throughout the trial, the prosecutors depicted the Grenons as con artists who used the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing website as a front to swindle unsuspecting consumers and deceive the US government. They employed video presentations to lure customers, claiming that MMS was capable of curing 95% of known diseases, including AIDS and coronavirus. Prosecutor John Shipley characterized the entire Miracle Mineral Solution scheme as a web of deception and dishonesty. He stated that the Grenons devised a fake church as a means to evade the authorities and continue profiting from their snake oil sales, emphasizing that this was nothing more than a money-driven scam.
Shipley and his colleague, Michael Homer, described how the Grenons designated themselves as bishops and marketed MMS as sacred sacraments, accepting ‘donations’ to the Genesis church in return. Judge Cecilia Altonaga ruled that the Grenons could not employ the First Amendment as a defense since their purported church did not qualify as a religious entity. The FDA issued public warnings, stating that it had received numerous reports of hospitalizations and life-threatening conditions resulting from the ingestion of the dangerous substance. This criminal case marked the first enforcement action related to the pandemic in Florida.
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