A Florida-based family of four was found guilty on Wednesday by a federal jury of distributing a harmful industrial bleach under the guise of a COVID-19 treatment through their online religious church.
The Miami federal court convicted Mark Grenon, 65, and his sons Jonathan, 37, Joseph, 35, and Jordan, 29, of scheming to defraud the United States and of trafficking misbranded drugs, according to court documents.
Such offenses carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, with their sentencing slated for October 6.
Choosing to represent themselves, the Grenons refrained from speaking during the two-day trial, according to media reports.
Following the jury’s decision, Joseph Grenon voiced the family’s intention to appeal.
The ‘Cure’: Unveiling the dangers of the Miracle Mineral Solution
Prosecutors labeled the Grenons as fraudulent operators, accusing them of selling over a million dollars worth of their self-proclaimed Miracle Mineral Solution through their Genesis II Church of Health and Healing.
The prosecution asserted that the Grenons marketed this concoction as a universal remedy in their promotional videos, claiming it to effectively treat a wide range of diseases, from COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s to brain cancer, autism, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis.
Officials identified the solution peddled by the Grenons as chlorine dioxide.
Upon ingestion, the substance turns into a form of bleach generally utilized in industrial processes like textile treatment, water purification, and paper production, as stated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Authorities equated the consumption of this substance with drinking bleach, warning that it can lead to fatal consequences.
In 2020, a Miami federal judge instructed the church to cease the sale of the hazardous substance, an order that went unheeded.
Arrests, extradition, and contempt of court charges
Jonathan and Jordan Grenon were apprehended in Bradenton, located south of the Tampa Bay area, while Mark and Joseph Grenon absconded to Colombia.
They were eventually arrested there and extradited back to the United States.
In addition to the fraud convictions, Jonathan and Jordan Grenon were also found guilty of defying federal court mandates that demanded they halt the sales of the Miracle Mineral Solution in 2020.
As part of the extradition agreement from Colombia, U.S. authorities agreed to dismiss the similar contempt charges leveled against Mark and Joseph Grenon.
