FLORIDA – The leader of “Genesis II Church of Health and Healing,” who sold toxic bleach as a fake “miracle” cure for COVID-19 and other serious diseases, has been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has announced.
A federal jury in Miami has found Mark Grenon, 65, and his three sons, Jonathan Grenon, 38, Jordan Grenon, 29, and Joseph Grenon, 36, guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States by distributing an unapproved and misbranded drug.
Jonathan and Jordan Grenon were also found guilty of contempt of court.
According to the USAO, the Grenons, all of Bradenton, Florida, 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 the treatment of 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.
In fact, the FDA said it received reports of people requiring hospitalizations, developing life-threatening conditions, and even dying after drinking MMS.
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 are alleged to have 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 (“Genesis”), an entity they created to avoid government regulation of MMS and shield themselves from prosecution, the USAO said.
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According to the USAO, 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 Genesis websites further stated that MMS could be acquired only through a “donation” to Genesis, but the donation amounts for MMS orders were set at specific dollar amounts and were mandatory, such that the donation amounts were effectively just sales prices, 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. See United States v. Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, et al., Case No. 20-21601-CV-WILLIAMS.
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.”
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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.
Sentencing has been scheduled for October 6. At sentencing, the defendants face up to 5 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Assistant Commissioner Justine Green of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations announced the conviction.
FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael B. Homer and John Shipley of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting it.
U.S. Attorney Lapointe commends and thanks the government of Colombia for its assistance. U.S. Attorney Lapointe also extends his gratitude to the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) Judicial Attachés in Bogota, Colombia, for their substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Mark Grenon to the United States.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 21-cr-20242.
