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Church leader, his 3 sons sentenced to 12 years for selling bleach as ‘Miracle Cure’ for COVID, HIV and Autism

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2023

Church leader, his 3 sons sentenced to 12 years for selling bleach as ‘Miracle Cure’ for COVID, HIV and Autism

A ‘church’ leader and his three sons have been sentenced to 12 years in prison after making $1 million from sale of toxic bleach they passed off as a ‘miracle cure’ for coronavirus.

The four men: Mark Grenon, 65, and his sons Jonathan, 37, Joseph, 35, and Jordan, 29 were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and FDA by distributing an unapproved and misbranded drug.

Jonathan and Jordon received 12-year prison sentences after being found guilty of two counts of violating federal court orders requiring them to stop selling the drug, while dad Mark and his other son Joseph Grenon both received five-year terms.

The family, all of Bradenton, Florida, began selling Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), a chemical solution containing sodium chlorite that, when mixed with water and a citric acid activator, turns into chlorine dioxide, a powerful bleach.

The Grenons claimed that ingesting MMS could treat, prevent, and cure COVID-19.

The product was sold after the foursome set up a fake Florida church website which conned thousands of people across the US, in 2010. The sales continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Federal Drug Administration never approved MMS for treatment of COVID-19, or for any other use and strongly urged consumers not to purchase or use MMS for any reason.

It explained how consuming MMS was the same as drinking bleach and could cause dangerous side effects, including severe vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure.

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In April 2020, the feds cracked down on the enterprise after the Grenons defied FDA orders to stop distributing the toxic substance.

Their defiance of the court order ultimately led to criminal charges and a raid on their home in Bradenton, south of Tampa Bay, where investigators found loaded guns, nearly 10,000 pounds of sodium chlorite powder and thousands of bottles of MMS.

Jonathan and Jordan were arrested in Bradenton, and Joseph fled to Colombia, where he was later extradited by the Colombian authorities.

The Grenons chose to represent themselves during their July trial and said nothing throughout the proceedings until the 12-person jury delivered their verdict, when Joseph told the court: ‘We will be appealing.’

Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed the Grenons as con men using the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing website as a front to defraud consumers and the US government.

The Grenons sold tens of thousands of bottles of MMS nationwide, including to consumers throughout South Florida.

During July’s trial, the jury saw photos and video of a dirty rundown shed in Jonathan Grenon’s backyard where they were manufacturing their MMS.

These photos showed 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 blue chemical drums of sodium chlorite powder even had warning labels advising the product was toxic, flammable, and highly dangerous to consume.

The relatives used video pitches to appeal to customers, touting MMS as a cure for 95 percent of the world’s known diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and leukemia, even though the FDA had not approved MMS for any use whatsoever.

‘This whole Miracle Mineral Solution scheme was built on deception and dishonesty,’ prosecutor John Shipley said during closing arguments at the trial.

The Grenons sold the product under the guise of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, an entity they created to avoid government regulation of MMS and shield themselves from prosecution.

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The fake church ‘made it harder for the Food and Drug Administration and government to stop the family from selling snake oil’ Shipley explained.

‘This was no church. This was a scam for money — an old-fashioned scam.’

Shipley and fellow prosecutor Michael Homer described how the Grenons called themselves ‘bishops’ and peddled MMS as ‘sacraments’ to consumers in South Florida and other parts of the United States in exchange for a ‘donation’ to the Genesis church.

On the Genesis website, it was stated how MMS could only be acquired through a ‘donation’ to Genesis, but the donation amounts for MMS orders were set at specific dollar amounts, and were mandatory, essentially making the donation amounts as sales prices.

Genesis’ own websites describe Genesis as a ‘non-religious church,’ and Mark Grenon, 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 Grenons manufactured the solution in a backyard shed and were already selling the substance as a treatment for the other disorders prior to COVID-19 pandemic.

Mark Grenon was even the subject of an ABC 20/20 expose back in 2016, but he continued to hawk the product for four more years.

The Grenons’ actions may have caused multiple deaths over the years, with the Federal Drug Administration saying it received numerous reports of people requiring hospitalization, developing life-threatening conditions, and even dying after drinking MMS.

The criminal case brought in April 2020 was the first pandemic-related enforcement action in Florida.

Church leader, his 3 sons sentenced to 12 years for selling bleach as ‘Miracle Cure’ for COVID, HIV and Autism

Related Topics:Church leader COVID HIV Miracle Cure

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Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

Published

11 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

File photo

Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Ayuba Hashimu, has dismissed viral reports alleging that bandits attacked a mosque in the council area, killing an Imam and several worshippers.

Some online platforms had circulated claims that armed bandits stormed a mosque in Sabon Birni, murdered the Imam and congregants, and abducted others.
However, Hashimu, speaking by telephone, described the reports as entirely false.

“I don’t know any mosque that was attacked, not to talk of killing of an Imam and worshippers. The story is false,” he stated.

A member of the state legislature representing the area, Hon. Aminu Boza, also debunked the claims, insisting that no mosque attack occurred on Saturday.

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“I don’t know how they got their story, but it is not true. No mosque was attacked by bandits,” he said.

While officials denied the alleged mosque incident, a separate early morning assault on Gatawa town within the same LGA resulted in five deaths and left one person critically injured.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Trust that six people — including two married women, two teenage girls and two young boys — were abducted by attackers suspected to be bandits.

“The bandits invaded our community around 1:30 a.m. and started shooting sporadically. Our vigilantes engaged them, but four of them paid the supreme price on the spot. Two others sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to the hospital, but one later died,” the resident said.

He added that the attackers also stole livestock as they fled.
“We heard them exchanging fire with security agents, but none of the abducted persons was rescued,” he recounted.

Sokoto Officials Deny Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

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FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools

Published

11 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

Almajiri school

FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools

The Federal Government has commenced the official recovery of 157 model Almajiri schools built during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in a renewed push to overhaul Almajiri education across the country.

The move was confirmed by Nura Muhammad, spokesperson for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE), during an interview in Abuja on Sunday. He described the recovery process as a crucial step toward fully revamping and institutionalising Almajiri education.

Muhammad explained that the effort follows the establishment of a legally backed national body now responsible for all Almajiri-related programmes — a structure he said was missing during earlier reform attempts.

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While commending former President Jonathan for constructing the schools, which he described as “a noble and well-intentioned stride toward modernising the system,” Muhammad noted that the previous initiative struggled due to weak policy implementation, including inadequate engagement with Alarammas, the traditional Qur’anic teachers who play a central role in the Almajiri system.

He added that the lack of a strong institutional framework — with the project operating only as an initiative under the Federal Ministry of Education — contributed to its challenges.

According to him, the Commission is now strengthened by law and guided by the newly adopted National Policy on Almajiri Education, positioning it to deliver sustainable reforms.

Muhammad expressed confidence that harmful practices linked to the Almajiri system would be addressed, emphasising that all recovered schools would soon be fully under the Commission’s control and rehabilitated to serve their original purpose.

FG Begins Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools

metro

Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

Published

17 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

The Delta State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu in Anambra State, arresting key suspects linked to the case.

Spokesperson SP Bright Edafe disclosed on Sunday that operatives of the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on credible intelligence, apprehended 25-year-old security guard Godwin Mngumi on 6 December 2025. Mngumi allegedly murdered the retired judge, and authorities also recovered the deceased’s mobile phone from him.

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According to Edafe, Mngumi confessed to inviting a friend, Nnaji Obalum, and another accomplice — who remains at large — to the residence where the crime was committed. Obalum has since been arrested, while a manhunt continues for the third suspect.

The arrests mark a major step forward in the effort to bring all perpetrators of the high-profile murder to justice.