Federal prosecutors in Miami on Wednesday charged four Bradenton men accused of using a fake church to market toxic bleach as a “miracle cure” for COVID-19 and other life-threatening ailments.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, Florida man Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan Grenon, 34, Jordan Grenon, 26, and Joseph Grenon, 32, used a company they “deceptively named” Genesis II Church of Health and Healing to manufacture, market, and sell “Miracle Mineral Solution” (MMS).
The DOJ claims the Grenons told their customers that drinking the toxic solution would cure the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as well as Alzheimer’s, autism, multiple sclerosis, and even HIV/AIDS.
Unfortunately, the chemicals in MMS, when ingested, “cause the solution to become chlorine dioxide, a powerful bleach, typically used for industrial water treatment or bleaching textiles, pulp, and paper.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year issued an official warning to consumers advising them not to purchase or drink MMS as the agency had received numerous reports of people who ingested the product suffering from severe vomiting, severe diarrhea, life-threatening low blood pressure caused by dehydration and acute liver failure.
“The Grenons allegedly sold tens of thousands of bottles of MMS nationwide, including to consumers throughout South Florida,” a DOJ press release stated. “They sold this dangerous product under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, 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.’”
The Grenons were charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt.
“We continue to protect the public from criminal conduct that takes advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “Not only is this MMS product toxic, but its distribution and use may prevent those who are sick from receiving the legitimate healthcare they need. A United States District Court already has ordered the defendants to stop distributing this product; we will not sit idly by as individuals purposefully violate Court orders and put the public in danger.”
[image via Newsy/YouTube screengrab]
Follow Law&Crime:
