A fatuous pastor was extradited from Colombia to Florida on charges of selling a miracle cure for COVID that was actually toxic industrial bleach.
Mark Grenon, of 64 years old, appeared in federal court in Miami on Thursday.
Grenon and his three adult children were indicted last year on one count each of conspiracy to commit fraud and two for criminal contempt.
Both Marc and his children Jordan, of 28; Joseph, of 34, and Jonathan, of 36, are in custody after pleading not guilty to charges
The prosecutors in the case allege that the Grenons sold tens of thousands of bottles of the substance nationwide to followers of their church.
“ They sold this dangerous product under the guise of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, an entity they are accused of creating to avoid government regulations and evade criminal prosecution,” they said in a statement quoted by the Miami Herald.
Marc is the Archbishop of Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton.
From the church, the man and his children manufactured, promoted and sold chlorine dioxide as a “Miraculous Mineral Solution”, according to the authorities.
The false promotion indicated that the substance cured a variety of diseases and conditions, such as cancer, malar ia and COVID.
In the 2020, a federal judge ordered the church to stop producing and selling the liquid, which Gerson did not do. He was arrested several months later in Colombia.
The solution is usually used for industrial water processing, paper, and textile treatment.
Ingestion of the chlorine can be fatal.