MIAMI – A jury trial began Monday in Miami for a Florida family accused of running a church and selling a bleaching agent as a cure for COVID-19.
Mark Grenon and his sons Jonathan, Jordan and Joseph were arrested in 2021 by federal officers.
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Prosecutors say the Grenons sold a product called Miracle Mineral Solution nationwide through Genesis II Church of Health and Healing in Bradenton, as a cure-all for several diseases, including cancer, AIDS, autism and COVID-19.
The family had been ordered to stop selling the substance by a federal judge, but prosecutors say the family ignored that order, leading to their arrests. Mark Grenon was arrested in Colombia and extradited to the U.S. in 2022.
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The Grenons have all been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, and criminal contempt.
The Food and Drug Administration said the solution sold by the Grenons became a bleaching agent when ingested. The chemical was used to treat textiles, water, pulp and paper. Drinking the chemical could be fatal.
But prosecutors say the Grenons said the product was safe to ingest, even for children.
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