BRADENTON, Fla. — A Bradenton family behind a "church" that sold a toxic bleaching agent as a miracle medical cure for COVID-19 heads to trial for federal charges this week in a Miami courtroom, according to court documents.
Mark Grenon, 65, made his initial court appearance in July 2022 after he was arrested in Colombia and extradited to the U.S. Grenon and his three adult sons — Jonathan, Jordan and Joseph — were indicted last year on one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts each of criminal contempt.
Grenon was the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, which operated out of a Bradenton home. According to officials, the church manufactured, promoted and sold chlorine dioxide as a “Miracle Mineral Solution." The Grenons claimed the solution was a cure for COVID-19, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, malaria and more.
A Miami federal judge ordered the church to stop selling the substance in 2020 when false information about the spread and treatment of COVID-19 was rampant across the internet. The order was ignored and Grenon was arrested in Colombia several months later.
When ingested, the solution sold by the Grenons becomes a bleach that is typically used for such things as treating textiles, industrial water, pulp and paper, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Authorities said ingesting these products is the same as drinking bleach and can be fatal.
"The FDA is not aware of any research showing that these products are safe or effective for treating any illness," the agency wrote. "The bottom line: Sodium chlorite products are dangerous, and you and your family should not use them."
The FDA has not approved the solution for treating COVID-19 or anything else.
According to the DOJ, the Grenons sold tens of thousands of bottles of the solution nationwide, including to customers in South Florida. Investigators say the family also made more than $1 million from selling the product.
The Grenons are accused of selling the product "under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing ('Genesis'), an entity they are accused of creating to avoid government regulation of MMS and shield themselves from prosecution."
Charging documents describe Genesis as a non-religious church.
The Associated Press and previous 10 Tampa Bay reporting contributed to this report.