Self-styled Florida archbishop and son sell deadly bleach as Covid-19 miracle potion that killed 7 people
An archbishop from Florida and his son were arrested over the sale of a deadly bleach as a miracle cure for the novel coronavirus. The self-styled archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, Mark Grenon, 62, and his son Joseph, 32, were reportedly detained in Colombia by local authorities.
Prosecutors in Colombia, in a statement, said that the father and son were preparing to ship stock of their coronavirus "cure" called Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) from the beach town of Santa Marta to the United States. At least seven Americans have died from using the substance, prosecutors have alleged. Grenon's church is reportedly centered around the use of the substance, which he claims is also a cure to other diseases like cancer, HIV, autism and malaria. The archbishop had reportedly even written to President Donald Trump, asking him to promote his controversial cure to Americans. Grenon reportedly talked of a "wonderful detox" that can "rid the body of Covid-19."
#ATENCIÓN | #CTI de #Fiscalía, con apoyo de @FuerzaAereaCol y @GaulaMilitares, logró la captura de padre e hijo requeridos en extradición por #EEUU por ingresar y comercializar en ese país una supuesta 'pócima milagrosa' para tratar el Covid-19 y enfermedades de alto costo. pic.twitter.com/k3rWTkikwF
— Fiscalía Colombia (@FiscaliaCol) August 11, 2020
The Florida archbishop and Joseph, along with his two other sons, Jonathan, 34, and Jordan, 26, have reportedly been charged with fraud, criminal contempt and conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in the US. Reports state that all of them face a maximum prison sentence of between 14 and more than 17 years if they are convicted of all the charges against them. Grenon and Joseph, meanwhile are currently facing extradition to the US, while the archbishop's two other sons were arrested in Florida in July.
A video of the archbishop and his son's arrest released by the authorities showed two men wearing blue bodysuits and masks being led away by Colombian police. Officials in Bradenton, Florida, in July, had reportedly discovered 22 gallons of the finished "miracle cure" at the archbishop's church. Nearly 50 gallons of muriatic acid and 8,300lbs of sodium chlorite was also found at the site.
An injunction to the particular church was also issued by the FDA in April after multiple reports of hospitalizations of people who had taken the solution emerged. Several of them reportedly developed life-threatening conditions and some died. The Grenons, according to the federal complaint, initially agreed to abide by the injunction to stop selling the "cure." However, he later changed his stance in online podcasts and sent emails to the judge who had laid down the injunction.
The archbishop, in one of the messages, wrote: "We will NOT be participating in any of your UNCONSTITUTIONAL Orders, Summons, etc. Again and again I have written you all that... you have NO authority over our Church." Grenon reportedly shipped tens of thousands of bottles of the miracle cure across the nation and had been earning up to $120,000-a-month after promoting MMS as a coronavirus cure. The archbishop reportedly made $500,000 from selling the dangerous "cure" in America.
The assistant commissioner of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Catherine Hermsen, in a statement in July, had said: "Making claims that unproven drugs, especially potentially dangerous and unapproved chlorine dioxide products, can cure or prevent Covid-19 or any other disease is unacceptable. The Genesis II Church of Health and Healing has actively and deliberately placed consumers at risk with their fraudulent Miracle Mineral Solution and Americans expect and deserve medical treatments that have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective. We commend the efforts of our law enforcement partners for vigorously investigating this matter."