Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Leader of “Genesis II Church of Health and Healing,” Who Sold Toxic Bleach as Fake “Miracle” Cure for Covid-19 and Other Serious Diseases, Extradited from Colombia to the United States

Miami, Florida – Mark Grenon, 64, made his initial appearance today in federal court in Miami, Florida, after being extradited from Colombia. Grenon is charged—along with his three sons, Jonathan Grenon, 36, Jordan Grenon, 28, and Joseph Grenon, 34—with fraudulently marketing and selling “Miracle Mineral Solution,” a toxic industrial bleach, as a cure for COVID-19, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, autism, malaria, hepatitis, Parkinson’s, herpes, HIV/AIDS, and other serious medical conditions, and with defying federal court orders.

According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury, the Grenons, all of Bradenton, Florida, manufactured, promoted, and sold a product they named Miracle Mineral Solution (“MMS”). 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. The Grenons claimed that ingesting MMS could treat, prevent, and cure COVID-19, according to the charges. The FDA, however, had not approved MMS for treatment of COVID-19, or for any other use. Rather, in prior official warning statements, the FDA had strongly urged consumers not to purchase or use MMS for any reason, explaining that drinking MMS was the same as drinking bleach and could cause dangerous side effects, including severe vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure. See https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/danger-dont-drink-miracle-mineral-solution-or-similar-products. In fact, FDA received reports of people requiring hospitalizations, developing life-threatening conditions, and even dying after drinking MMS.

The indictment further alleges that before marketing MMS as a cure for COVID-19, the Grenons marketed MMS as a miracle cure-all for dozens of other serious diseases and disorders, even though the FDA had not approved MMS for any use. The Grenons sold tens of thousands of bottles of MMS nationwide, including to consumers throughout South Florida, according to the allegations. They sold this dangerous product under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (“Genesis”), an entity they are accused of creating to avoid government regulation of MMS and shield themselves from prosecution. According to charging documents, 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 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. The indictment alleges that the Grenons received more than $1 million from selling MMS.

The indictment also charges the Grenons with criminal contempt. The United States previously filed a civil case against the defendants and Genesis II Church of Health and Healing. See United States v. Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, et al., Case No. 20-21601-CV-WILLIAMS. In that civil case, the United States obtained court orders halting the Grenons’ distribution of MMS. According to charging documents, the Grenons willfully violated those court orders and continued to distribute MMS. The Grenons also allegedly threatened the federal judge presiding over the civil case, and threatened that, should the government attempt to enforce the court orders halting their distribution of MMS, the Grenons would “pick up guns” and instigate “a Waco.”

Furthermore, according to statements made in court by federal prosecutors in Miami, a search warrant was executed for Defendant Jonathan Grenon’s house at the time of his arrest, and officers discovered that the Grenons were manufacturing MMS in a shed in Jonathan Grenon’s backyard in Bradenton, Florida. Officers seized dozens of blue chemical drums containing nearly 10,000 pounds of sodium chlorite powder, thousands of bottles of MMS, and other items used in the manufacture and distribution of MMS. The government also recovered multiple loaded firearms, including one pump-action shotgun concealed in a custom-made violin case to disguise its appearance, according to prosecutors.

Trial is set to begin on September 12, in Miami, Florida, before Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez and Assistant Commissioner of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations Catherine Hermsen made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael B. Homer and John Shipley of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations investigated the case.

U.S. Attorney Gonzalez commends and thanks the government of Colombia for its assistance. U.S. Attorney Gonzalez also extends his gratitude to the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) Judicial Attachés in Bogota, Colombia for their substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Mark Grenon to the United States.

An indictment is a charging instrument containing allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-20242.

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Topic(s): Consumer Protection
Component(s): USAO - Florida, Southern

Contact: Marlene Rodriguez
Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney
Public Affairs Officer
USAFLS.News@usdoj.gov

Updated July 28, 2022

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/leader-genesis-ii-church-health-and-healing-who-sold-toxic-bleach-fake-miracle-cure

Houston doctor suspended for vaccine misinformation files $25 million defamation lawsuit against Methodist Hospital

The lawsuit accuses Methodist Hospital and Methodist CEO Marc Boom of making “false and defamatory” statements about Dr. Mary Bowden, an ear, nose, and throat doctor in River Oaks.

Lucio Vasquez | Posted on July 25, 2022, 4:45 PM (Last Updated: July 25, 2022, 5:19 PM)

A Houston doctor who previously sued Methodist Hospital after she was suspended for spreading COVID-19 misinformation has filed a second lawsuit against the hospital.

The newly filed lawsuit accuses Methodist and Methodist CEO Marc Boom of severely damaging the reputation of Dr. Mary Bowden — an ear, nose, and throat doctor in River Oaks who had her provisional privileges taken away last year after making claims online related to vaccine efficacy.

"Methodist and Boom retaliated against Dr. Bowden in an unprecedented manner. Without notice, they published false and defamatory statements to the press and on social media, affording no due process, acting contrary to and with reckless disregard for both the letter and spirit of Methodist's bylaws," the lawsuit reads.

...

“I want to clear my name and hold them accountable. Every person has a right to an unimpaired reputation,” Bowden said. “Thanks to Methodist, half the world thinks that I’m crazy and dangerous.”

...

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/health-science/2022/07/25/429010/houston-doctor-suspended-for-vaccine-misinformation-files-25-million-defamation-lawsuit-against-methodist-hospital/

February 18, 2022
Efficacy of Ivermectin Treatment on Disease Progression Among Adults With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 and ComorbiditiesThe I-TECH Randomized Clinical Trial
Steven Chee Loon Lim, MRCP; Chee Peng Hor, MSc; Kim Heng Tay, MRCP; et al

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2789362

November 9, 2020
Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Clinical Status at 14 Days in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19A Randomized Clinical Trial
Wesley H. Self, MD, MPH; Matthew W. Semler, MD; Lindsay M. Leither, DO; et al

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2772922

July 16, 2021
Effect of Oral Azithromycin vs Placebo on COVID-19 Symptoms in Outpatients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection A Randomized Clinical Trial
Catherine E. Oldenburg, ScD, MPH; Benjamin A. Pinsky, MD, PhD; Jessica Brogdon, MPH, TM; et al

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2782166

TWiV 913: Twinkle twinkle little SARS
June 26, 2022

TWiV explains the meaning of vaccine-derived poliovirus found in London sewage, risk of long COVID after infections with Delta or Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, and enhancers of innate immune signaling as broad-spectrum antivirals.

Matthew 6:1-5 (Nestle 1904)

1 ????έ???? ?ὲ ?ὴ? ???????ύ??? ὑ?ῶ? ?ὴ ????ῖ? ἔ???????? ?ῶ? ἀ???ώ??? ??ὸ? ?ὸ ????ῆ??? ?ὐ??ῖ?· ?ἰ ?ὲ ?ή??, ????ὸ? ?ὐ? ἔ???? ???ὰ ?ῷ ????ὶ ὑ?ῶ? ?ῷ ἐ? ??ῖ? ?ὐ????ῖ?. 2 Ὅ??? ?ὖ? ???ῇ? ἐ??????ύ???, ?ὴ ????ί?ῃ? ἔ??????έ? ???, ὥ???? ?ἱ ὑ???????ὶ ????ῦ??? ἐ? ??ῖ? ????????ῖ? ??ὶ ἐ? ??ῖ? ῥύ????, ὅ??? ??????ῶ??? ὑ?ὸ ?ῶ? ἀ???ώ???· ἀ?ὴ? ?έ?? ὑ?ῖ?, ἀ?έ?????? ?ὸ? ????ὸ? ?ὐ?ῶ?. 3 ??ῦ ?ὲ ????ῦ???? ἐ??????ύ??? ?ὴ ??ώ?? ἡ ἀ??????ά ??? ?ί ????ῖ ἡ ????ά ???, 4 ὅ??? ᾖ ??? ἡ ἐ??????ύ?? ἐ? ?ῷ ?????ῷ· ??ὶ ὁ ???ή? ??? ὁ ??έ??? ἐ? ?ῷ ?????ῷ ἀ???ώ??? ???. 5 ??ὶ ὅ??? ?????ύ?????, ?ὐ? ἔ????? ὡ? ?ἱ ὑ???????ί· ὅ?? ????ῦ??? ἐ? ??ῖ? ????????ῖ? ??ὶ ἐ? ??ῖ? ???ί??? ?ῶ? ??????ῶ? ἑ??ῶ??? ?????ύ??????, ὅ??? ???ῶ??? ??ῖ? ἀ???ώ????· ἀ?ὴ? ?έ?? ὑ?ῖ?, ἀ?έ?????? ?ὸ? ????ὸ? ?ὐ?ῶ?.

Matthew 6:1-5 (KJV)

6 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

(at 11:52 in the video)
Specter: "...The joint opinion says, ‘‘The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.’’Do you agree with that statement, Judge Roberts?"

Roberts: "Yes, Senator, as a general proposition. But..."

(at 12:48 in the video)
Specter: "...Well, I am not going to ask you whether you are going to vote to overrule Roe or sustain it, but we are talking here about the jurisprudence of the Court and their reasoning. Let me come to another key phase of Casey where the joint opinion says, ‘‘A terrible price would be paid for overruling Roe. It would seriously weaken the Court’s capacity to exercise the judicial power and to function as the Supreme Court of the Nation dedicated to the rule of law. ’’Now, this moves away from the specific holding and goes to a much broader jurisprudential point, really raising the issue of whether there would be a recognition of the Court’s authority. And in a similar line, the Court said this: that to overrule Roe would be ‘‘a surrender to political pressure,’’ and added, ‘‘To overrule under fire would subvert the Court’s legitimacy. ’’So in these statements on Casey, you are really going beyond the holding. You are going to the legitimacy and authority of the Court. Do you agree with that?"


Roberts: "Well, I do think the considerations about the Court’s legitimacy are critically important. In other cases—...."

(at 15:35 in the video)
Specter: "A jolt to the legal system, a movement against stability—one of the Roberts doctrines."

Roberts: "....An overruling of a prior precedent is a jolt to the legal system. It is inconsistent with principles of stability and yet—..."

Specter: "One—go ahead."

Roberts: "I was just going to say, the principles of stare decisis recognize that there are situations when that’s a price that has to be paid. ..."

The Doomsday Glacier Is Collapsing…Who Is Most at Risk?

Sea level rise is a problem that is garnishing increasing attention among both scientists and the media. And as climate change continues to warm the earth, the current rate of 1.4 inches per decade is projected to increase, with NOAA predicting another foot of sea-level rise along US coastlines by 2050.

The most consequential tipping point, when it comes to sea-level rise, is Thwaites Glacier, also known as the Doomsday glacier, located in West Antarctica. When this massive ice sheet melts, the earth’s seas are predicted to rise by at least two feet. But perhaps the greater concern is what will happen to the surrounding ice once Thwaites is no longer there to stabilize the region around it. Many scientists predict that, were this system to completely collapse, we would actually see around 6 feet of sea-level rise – a truly catastrophic scenario.

In this episode, we explore just how likely this dire outcome is, take a look at how America’s most at-risk city, Miami, is already experiencing the effects today, and what all of this has to do with gentrification.

Weathered is a show hosted by weather expert Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and what we can do to prepare.