64-Year-Old Man Who Allegedly Sold Bleach As Coronavirus Cure Through Florida-Based Church Extradited To US

A 64-year-old self-styled Florida “bishop,” who allegedly sold a bogus Covid-19 cure from a “non-religious” church, was recently extradited from Colombia.

Mark Grenon and his sons, Jordan, 28, Joseph, 34, and Jonathan, 36, are facing federal fraud charges in connection with the allegations, reported New York Post. They are accused of selling a toxic industrial bleach called “Miracle Mineral Solution” (MMS) on a “church” website. They claimed it to be a cure for COVID-19, cancer and other serious medical diseases, according to the U.S. authorities. They are all currently in prison after pleading not guilty to peddling the potentially dangerous concoction.

Mark made his initial court appearance Thursday in Miami federal court following his recent extradition, according to ABC News. He and his sons were indicted last year on two counts each of criminal contempt and one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the Grenons sold "tens of thousands of bottles of MMS nationwide, including to consumers throughout South Florida." The statement further read that the four men sold this "dangerous product under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing." It is an entity that they are "accused of creating to avoid government regulation of MMS and shield themselves from prosecution.”

Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, which operated out of Bradenton, billed itself as a secular institution dedicated to “serving mankind," and "restoring health to the world." The family business got served with a federal indictment after allegedly flouting an injunction. It forbids them from marketing and selling their potion.

MMS contains sodium chlorite and water, according to prosecutors. It is a mix that turns to chlorine dioxide when ingested. It is a powerful bleach that is typically used for industrial water treatment or bleaching textiles, paper and pulp.

Before being tracked down in South America, Mark vanished several years ago.

Miami Herald reported that according to a criminal complaint that was filed in June 2020, Genesis’ own websites described itself as a “non-religious church." Mark, the co-founder of Genesis, repeatedly said that Genesis “has nothing to do with religion." He added that he founded Genesis a decade earlier to “legalize the use of MMS” and avoid “going...to jail.”