Florida “church” leaders sentenced for toxic “miracle” cure for COVID-19

FLORIDA – The leaders of “Genesis II Church of Health and Healing” have been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison after they sold toxic bleach as a fake “miracle” cure for COVID-19 and other serious diseases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has announced.

A federal judge in Miami has sentenced Jonathan Grenon, 37, and Jordan Grenon, 29, to 151 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by distributing an unapproved and misbranded drug and for contempt of court.

Mark Grenon, 66, and Joseph Grenon, 36, were sentenced to 60 months in prison, the statutory maximum sentence for conspiring to defraud the United States by distributing an unapproved and misbranded drug. A federal jury found all four defendants guilty following a trial this summer.

According to the USAO, the Grenons, all of Bradenton, manufactured, promoted, and sold a product they named Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). MMS is a chemical solution containing sodium chlorite and water, which, when ingested orally, becomes chlorine dioxide, a powerful bleach typically used for industrial water treatment or bleaching textiles, pulp, and paper, said the USAO.

The Grenons claimed that ingesting MMS could treat, prevent, and cure COVID-19. However, the FDA had not approved MMS for treating COVID-19 or any other use.

Rather, in prior official warning statements, the FDA had strongly urged consumers not to purchase or use MMS for any reason, explaining that drinking MMS was the same as drinking bleach and could cause dangerous side effects, including severe vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure.

Before marketing MMS as a cure for COVID-19, the Grenons reportedly marketed MMS as a miracle cure-all for dozens of other serious diseases and disorders, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and leukemia, 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 the product under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, an entity they created to avoid government regulation of MMS and shield themselves from prosecution, the USAO said.

The Grenons reportedly received more than $1 million from selling MMS.

The federal jury also found defendants Jonathan and Jordan Grenon guilty of criminal contempt of court. The United States previously filed a civil case against the defendants and Genesis II Church of Health and Healing.

In that civil case, the United States obtained court orders halting the Grenons’ distribution of MMS. The Grenons willfully violated those court orders and continued to distribute MMS, the USAO said.

According to the USAO. the Grenons also threatened the federal judge presiding over the civil case and threatened that, should the government attempt to enforce the court orders halting their distribution of MMS, the Grenons would “pick up guns” and instigate “a Waco.”

During the trial, the jury saw photos and video of a dirty rundown shed in Jonathan Grenon’s backyard in Bradenton, Florida, where the defendants were manufacturing their MMS. The photos showed dozens of blue chemical drums containing nearly 10,000 pounds of sodium chlorite powder, thousands of bottles of MMS, and other items reportedly used in manufacturing and distributing MMS.

The blue chemical drums of sodium chlorite powder—the primary active ingredient in MMS—had warning labels advising that the product was toxic, flammable, and highly dangerous.