The family informed the judge assigned to the case that they would “pick up guns” and instigate “a Waco" should the government try to block them from selling the product, according to the district attorney's office.
A Florida man and his three sons all received federal prison sentences after being convicted of selling a toxic bleach that they marketed as a "miracle cure" for COVID-19.
Court documents show that the bleach also claimed to cure cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and leukemia, and was sold through a fake church established by Mark Grenon, 66, and his three sons: Jonathan Grenon, 37; Joseph Grenon, 36; and Jordan Grenon, 29.
Jonathan and Jordan Grenon were both sentenced to 151 months in prison, after a jury convicted them of 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.
"The Grenons, all of Bradenton, Florida, manufactured, promoted, and sold a product they named Miracle Mineral Solution (“MMS”)," said a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida. "MMS is a chemical solution containing sodium chlorite and water which, when ingested orally, became chlorine dioxide, a powerful bleach typically used for industrial water treatment or bleaching textiles, pulp, and paper."
Consuming MMS is the same as drinking bleach, according to the Food and Drug Administration, and can cause dangerous side effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure.
The Grenons then tried to use religious exemptions to skirt federal laws and regulations on the sale of MMS, according to a spokesperson for the district attorney's office.
They did this by turning their business into a fake house of worship — Genesis II Church of Health and Healing. In videos, the family members would speak about the fact that the government has no control over the actions of a church.
"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 district attorney's office said in a news release. "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."
This sales approach allowed the Grenons to receive more than $1 million from selling MMS, according to the district attorney's office.
The Grenons even continued to sell their toxic beach after receiving a warning from the government following the filing of a civil suit, and informed the judge assigned to the case that they would “pick up guns” and instigate “a Waco" should the government try to block them from selling the product, according to the district attorney's office.
An attorney for the Grenon family did not respond to a request for comment.
