Florida ‘church of therapeutic’ chief, 65, and his three sons are sentenced to as much as 12-year’s jail for promoting bleach as a ‘miracle treatment’ for COVID, HIV and autism

A father and his three sons have been sentenced by a Miami federal court docket to as much as 12 years in jail for making $1 million by promoting poisonous bleach as a ‘miracle treatment’ for coronavirus by way of a bogus church. 

Mark Grenon, 65, and his sons Jonathan, 37, Joseph, 35, and Jordan, 29 have been discovered responsible of conspiring to defraud the U.S. authorities and FDA by distributing an unapproved and misbranded drug.

Jonathan and Jordon obtained 12 12 months jail sentences after being discovered responsible of two counts of violating federal court docket orders requiring them to cease promoting the drug, whereas Mark and Joseph Grenon each obtained 5 12 months phrases.

The household, all of Bradenton, Florida, started promoting Miracle Mineral Resolution (MMS) –  a chemical resolution containing sodium chlorite that, when blended with water and a citric acid activator,’ turns into chlorine dioxide – a strong bleach sometimes used for industrial water remedy or bleaching textiles, pulp, and paper. 

The Grenons claimed that ingesting MMS may deal with, forestall, and treatment COVID-19. 

The product was offered after the foursome arrange a faux Florida church web site which conned hundreds of individuals throughout the US, in 2010. The gross sales continued all through the COVID pandemic. 

Mark Grenon, 65, (pictured) and his sons have been sentenced by a Miami federal court docket to as much as 12 years in jail for making $1 million by promoting poisonous bleach as a ‘miracle treatment’ for coronavirus by way of a bogus church web site

All through their trial, prosecutors portrayed the Grenons as con males utilizing the Genesis II Church of Well being and Therapeutic web site as a entrance to defraud shoppers and the US authorities

The household offered Miracle Mineral Resolution (MMS), a chemical resolution containing sodium chlorite that, when blended with water and a citric acid activator,’ turns into chlorine dioxide

The Federal Drug Administration by no means permitted MMS for remedy of COVID-19, or for another use and strongly urged shoppers to not buy or use MMS for any purpose.

It defined how consuming MMS was the identical as ingesting bleach and will trigger harmful negative effects, together with extreme vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood stress. 

In April 2020, the feds cracked down on the enterprise after the Grenons defied FDA orders to cease distributing the poisonous substance. 

Their defiance of the court docket order finally led to felony fees and a raid on their residence in Bradenton, south of Tampa Bay, the place investigators discovered loaded weapons, practically 10,000 kilos of sodium chlorite powder and hundreds of bottles of MMS. 

Jonathan and Jordan have been arrested in Bradenton, and Joseph fled to Colombia, the place he was later extradited by the Colombian authorities.  

The Grenons selected to characterize themselves throughout their July trial and stated nothing all through the proceedings till the 12-person jury delivered their verdict, when Joseph instructed the court docket: ‘We can be interesting.’ 

All through the trial, prosecutors portrayed the Grenons as con males utilizing the Genesis II Church of Well being and Therapeutic web site as a entrance to defraud shoppers and the US authorities.

The Grenons offered tens of hundreds of bottles of MMS nationwide, together with to shoppers all through South Florida. 

The blue chemical drums of sodium chlorite powder, saved in a unclean rundown shed in Jonathan Grenon’s yard, even had warning labels advising the product was poisonous, flammable, and extremely harmful to devour

Throughout July’s trial, the jury noticed photographs and video of a unclean rundown shed in Jonathan Grenon’s yard the place they have been manufacturing their MMS.

These photographs confirmed dozens of blue chemical drums containing practically 10,000 kilos of sodium chlorite powder, hundreds of bottles of MMS, and different objects used within the manufacture and distribution of MMS. 

The blue chemical drums of sodium chlorite powder even had warning labels advising the product was poisonous, flammable, and extremely harmful to devour.

The family members used video pitches to enchantment to prospects, touting MMS as a treatment for 95 % of the world’s identified illnesses, together with most cancers, Alzheimer’s illness, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and leukemia, regardless that the FDA had not permitted MMS for any use in any respect.

‘This complete Miracle Mineral Resolution scheme was constructed on deception and dishonesty,’ prosecutor John Shipley stated throughout closing arguments on the trial.

Mark and Joseph Grenon have been arrested in Colombia

Joseph Grenon (pictured) was arrested in Colombia the place the authorities extradited him again to the US 

Jonathan Grenon, 37, and Jordan Grenon, 29, got to 12 years in jail 

Mark Grenon obtained a 5 12 months jail sentence. He used the Genesis II Church of Well being and Therapeutic web site to flog the damaging substance 

Officers say that the church offered chlorine dioxide as a ‘Miracle Mineral Resolution’ (MMS), which the Grenons claimed may treatment an unlimited number of sicknesses starting from most cancers to autism to malaria to COVID-19 

The Grenons offered the product below the guise of Genesis II Church of Well being and Therapeutic, an entity they created to keep away from authorities regulation of MMS and protect themselves from prosecution. 

The faux church ‘made it more durable for the Meals and Drug Administration and authorities to cease the household from promoting snake oil’ Shipley defined. 

‘This was no church. This was a rip-off for cash — an old style rip-off.’ 

Shipley and fellow prosecutor Michael Homer described how the Grenons referred to as themselves ‘bishops’ and peddled MMS as ‘sacraments’ to shoppers in South Florida and different components of america in trade for a ‘donation’ to the Genesis church.

On the Genesis web site, it was said how MMS may solely be acquired by way of a ‘donation’ to Genesis, however the donation quantities for MMS orders have been set at particular greenback quantities, and have been necessary, primarily making the donation quantities as gross sales costs.

Genesis’ personal web sites describe Genesis as a ‘non-religious church,’ and  Mark Grenon, acknowledged that Genesis ‘has nothing to do with faith,’ and that he based Genesis to ‘legalize the usage of MMS’ and keep away from ‘going to jail.’ 

The Grenons manufactured the answer in a yard shed and have been already promoting the substance as a remedy for the opposite problems previous to COVID-19 pandemic.

Mark Grenon was even the topic of an ABC 20/20 expose again in 2016, however he continued to hawk the product for 4 extra years.  

Mark Grenon, 62, was even the topic of an ABC 20/20 expose again in 2016, however he continued to hawk the product for 4 extra years

In court docket, it was revealed how the household have been making a median of $32,000 per 30 days earlier than COVID-19 pandemic reached America. 

Nevertheless, orders skyrocketed because the coronavirus started to unfold and their earnings reached $132,000 per 30 days.

The Grenons’ actions might have induced a number of deaths over time, with the Federal Drug Administration saying it obtained quite a few experiences of individuals requiring hospitalization, creating life-threatening situations, and even dying after ingesting MMS.

The felony case introduced in April 2020 was the primary pandemic-related enforcement motion in Florida.

When the case was passing by way of the justice system, the Grenons threatened the federal choose presiding over the case, and threatened that, ought to the federal government try and implement the court docket orders halting their distribution of MMS, the Grenons would ‘choose up weapons’ and instigate ‘a Waco.’