Florida Father, Sons Accused Of Selling Toxic Bleach As COVID-19 Cure Charged In Miami Federal Court
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A Florida man and his three sons who marketed "Miracle Mineral Solution," a toxic bleach, as a cure for COVID-19 have been brought up on federal charges in Miami.
Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan Grenon, 34, Jordan Grenon, 26, and Joseph Grenon, 32, all from Bradenton, are facing conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt.
The Grenons allegedly sold tens of thousands of bottles of "Miracle Mineral Solution," or MMS, nationwide under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, an entity they reportedly created in an attempt to avoid government regulation.
The church's own websites describe Genesis as a "non-religious church," and 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," according to court documents.
Before the pandemic, the Grenons marketed MMS as a treatment for preventing and treating countless diseases like Alzheimer's disease, autism, brain cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. Prosecutors say that in late March, investigators discovered Genesis began marketing MMS as a cure for COVID-19.
The solution is actually chlorine dioxide — which is used as an industrial cleaner for swimming pools.
In a statement the FDA warned that ingesting Miracle Mineral Solution is the same as drinking bleach and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration.
The FDA has received reports of people requiring hospitalizations, developing life-threatening conditions, and dying after drinking MMS.