A Florida family were convicted of selling a bleach solution as a COVID-19 cure in a scheme first exposed by Insider
Robert J. Morris / YouTube
- Mark Grenon and his three sons have been convicted of selling toxic bleach as a miracle cure.
- They falsely claimed the substance could cure COVID-19, prosecutors said.
- Insider exposed how Mark Grenon used online platforms to market the substance.
A family from Florida has been convicted of selling a toxic bleach solution as a "miracle" medical cure in a scheme first exposed by Insider.
Mark Grenon, 65, and his sons, 37-year-old Jonathan, 35-year-old Joseph, and 29-year-old Jordan were convicted by a federal jury in Miami on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States and delivering misbranded drugs, The Miami Herald reported.
Prosecutors said the family sold "Miracle Mineral Solution" through their Genesis II church.
In online videos, seminars, and on their website, the Grenons advocated drinking sodium chlorite diluted with a household acid, such as lemon juice, thus creating chlorine dioxide, a powerful industrial bleach used to treat wood products.
The substance is highly dangerous to consume, and can cause severe vomiting, severe diarrhea, life-threatening low blood pressure caused by dehydration, and acute liver failure, says the US Food and Drugs Administration. US officials in legal documents said the bleach had been linked to seven deaths in the US.
The bleach solution was described as targeting ailments and conditions, including autism, cancer, and COVID-19.
Grenon and his sons face up to five years in prison and will be sentenced on October 6.
Jonathan and Jordan were also convicted of ignoring a 2020 federal court order to stop selling the substance, The Associated Press said. Those same charges were dropped against Mark and Joseph as a condition of their extradition from Colombia to face charges, the outlet said.
Insider in 2019 reported that Grenon was falsely marketing the bleach as a miracle cure on YouTube, where his videos were racking up thousands of views despite breaching platform rules against promoting dangerous or fake cures.
Grenon was one of the most prominent members of the so-called Genesis II church, whose core claim was that chlorine dioxide had miraculous curative powers. In an interview with federal prosecutors in 2021, Grenon admitted that the church was a way of dodging legal repercussions for selling the bleach.
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world in 2020, the Genesis II church focused its efforts on marketing the bleach as a cure for the disease. According to legal documents, the Grenons earnt more than $1 million from selling the product.
Mark and Joseph Grenon were arrested in Colombia in 2020, and extradited to the US to face criminal charges. Jonathan and Jordan Grenon were arrested in Bradenton, Florida, the prosecutors say.
The Miami Herald reported that Grenon and his sons had chosen to defend themselves during their two-day trial, but opted to remain silent. Joseph Grenon told the outlet that they will be appealing the conviction.
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