Florida leader, 65, and three sons sentenced to up to 12-year's prison

Florida ‘church of healing’ leader, 65, and his three sons are sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for selling bleach as a ‘miracle cure’ for COVID, HIV and autism

• A Florida man and his three adult sons have been sentenced for selling a toxic industrial bleach as a fake COVID-19 cure through their online church
• Dad Mark Grenon, 66, and son Joseph, 36, each received five years while Jonathan, 37, and Jordan, 29, were sentenced to up to 12 years behind bars
• The Grenons pitched their so-called Miracle Mineral Solution as a cure for 95% of known diseases, including COVID-19, Alzheimer’s, autism, AIDS and MS

A father and his three sons have been sentenced by a Miami federal court to up to 12 years in prison for making $1 million by selling toxic bleach as a ‘miracle cure’ for coronavirus through a bogus church. 

Mark Grenon, 65, and his sons Jonathan, 37, Joseph, 35, and Jordan, 29 were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and FDA by distributing an unapproved and misbranded drug.

Jonathan and Jordon received 12-year prison sentences after being found guilty of two counts of violating federal court orders requiring them to stop selling the drug, while dad Mark and his other son Joseph Grenon both received five-year terms.

The family, all of Bradenton, Florida, began selling Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) –  a chemical solution containing sodium chlorite that, when mixed with water and a citric acid activator, turns into chlorine dioxide – a powerful bleach.

The Grenons claimed that ingesting MMS could treat, prevent, and cure COVID-19. 

The product was sold after the foursome set up a fake Florida church website which conned thousands of people across the US, in 2010. The sales continued throughout the COVID pandemic. 

Mark Grenon, 65, (pictured) and his sons were sentenced by a Miami federal court to up to 12 years in prison for making $1 million by selling toxic bleach as a ‘miracle cure’ for coronavirus through a bogus church website

Throughout their trial, prosecutors portrayed the Grenons as con men using the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing website as a front to defraud consumers and the US government

The family sold Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), a chemical solution containing sodium chlorite that, when mixed with water and a citric acid activator,’ turns into chlorine dioxide

The Federal Drug Administration never approved MMS for treatment of COVID-19, or for any other use and strongly urged consumers not to purchase or use MMS for any reason.

It explained how consuming MMS was the same as drinking bleach and could cause dangerous side effects, including severe vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure. 

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

Their defiance of the court order ultimately led to criminal charges and a raid on their home in Bradenton, south of Tampa Bay, where investigators found loaded guns, nearly 10,000 pounds of sodium chlorite powder and thousands of bottles of MMS. 

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

The Grenons chose to represent themselves during their July trial and said nothing throughout the proceedings until the 12-person jury delivered their verdict, when Joseph told the court: ‘We will be appealing.’ 

Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed the Grenons as con men using the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing website as a front to defraud consumers and the US government.

The Grenons sold tens of thousands of bottles of MMS nationwide, including to consumers throughout South Florida. 

The blue chemical drums of sodium chlorite powder, stored in a dirty rundown shed in Jonathan Grenon’s backyard, even had warning labels advising the product was toxic, flammable, and highly dangerous to consume

During July’s trial, the jury saw photos and video of a dirty rundown shed in Jonathan Grenon’s backyard where they were manufacturing their MMS.

These photos showed dozens of blue chemical drums containing nearly 10,000 pounds of sodium chlorite powder, thousands of bottles of MMS, and other items used in the manufacture and distribution of MMS. 

The blue chemical drums of sodium chlorite powder even had warning labels advising the product was toxic, flammable, and highly dangerous to consume.

The relatives used video pitches to appeal to customers, touting MMS as a cure for 95 percent of the world’s known diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and leukemia, even though the FDA had not approved MMS for any use whatsoever.

‘This whole Miracle Mineral Solution scheme was built on deception and dishonesty,’ prosecutor John Shipley said during closing arguments at the trial.

Mark and Joseph Grenon were arrested in Colombia

Joseph Grenon (pictured) was arrested in Colombia where the authorities extradited him back to the US 

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

Mark Grenon received a five year jail sentence. He used the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing website to flog the dangerous substance 

Officials say that the church sold chlorine dioxide as a ‘Miracle Mineral Solution’ (MMS), which the Grenons claimed could cure a vast variety of illnesses ranging from cancer to autism to malaria to COVID-19 

The Grenons 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 fake church ‘made it harder for the Food and Drug Administration and government to stop the family from selling snake oil’ Shipley explained. 

‘This was no church. This was a scam for money — an old-fashioned scam.’ 

Shipley and fellow prosecutor Michael Homer described how the Grenons called themselves ‘bishops’ and peddled MMS as ‘sacraments’ to consumers in South Florida and other parts of the United States in exchange for a ‘donation’ to the Genesis church.

On the Genesis website, it was stated how MMS could only be acquired through a ‘donation’ to Genesis, but the donation amounts for MMS orders were set at specific dollar amounts, and were mandatory, essentially making the donation amounts as sales prices.

Genesis’ own websites describe Genesis as a ‘non-religious church,’ and Mark Grenon, 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 manufactured the solution in a backyard shed and were already selling the substance as a treatment for the other disorders prior to COVID-19 pandemic.

Mark Grenon was even the subject of an ABC 20/20 expose back in 2016, but he continued to hawk the product for four more years.  

Mark Grenon, 62, was even the subject of an ABC 20/20 expose back in 2016, but he continued to hawk the product for four more years

In court, it was revealed how the family were making an average of $32,000 per month before COVID-19 pandemic reached America. 

However, orders skyrocketed as the coronavirus began to spread and their earnings reached $132,000 per month.

The Grenons’ actions may have caused multiple deaths over the years, with the Federal Drug Administration saying it received numerous reports of people requiring hospitalization, developing life-threatening conditions, and even dying after drinking MMS.

The criminal case brought in April 2020 was the first pandemic-related enforcement action in Florida.

When the case was passing through the justice system, the Grenons threatened the federal judge presiding over the 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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