A federal judge in Florida ordered a self-described church hawking bleach as a holy sacrament to stop selling it as a COVID-19 treatment.
Genesis II Church of Health and Healing has recently promoted an industrial bleach concoction, which has long been a pillar in anti-vaccine circles, identified as "Miracle Mineral Solution" or MMS as novel coronavirus prevention and cure elixir, alleged by prosecutors in a complaint Thursday.
Prosecutors allege that it contains a toxic, powerful bleach, according to the Justice Department on Friday.
The April 16 directive unsealed against Genesis II Church of Health and Healing and its executives on Friday followed prosecutors filing a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
MMS was also marketed as a treatment for preventing and curing several diseases including Alzheimer's disease, brain cancer, autism, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS. Investigators discovered Genesis marketing MMS in late March.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a temporary restraining order against Genesis to halt its distribution of MMS until May 1.
Four individuals associated with MMS were identified as Mark Grenon, Jordan Grenon, Joseph Grenon, and Jonathan Grenon, who were asked to follow through as well.
The self-proclaimed religious entity had been advertising the industrial-strength bleach on their affiliated websites and stating inventive claims with regard to its potential applications.
It stated that MMS could suppress the coronavirus through "sacramental dosing."
The U.S. government sued Genesis and alleged that it infringed the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with labeling for its "mineral drug."
Despite its name, the non-religious entity is a "secular entity based in the State of Florida," according to the government lawsuit.
Prosecutors described in court documents, "In the midst of a viral pandemic and national emergency like nothing seen for more than a century, the above-captioned defendants are exploiting the crisis by marketing a powerful industrial bleach to consumers as a remedy for coronavirus, which includes COVID-19, the novel disease that, in its four months of existence, has infected more than 2 million people worldwide and has claimed the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans."
The court also found that there is a risk that the defendants will carry on contravening the law without the temporary restraining order. "When warned by authorities that their conduct was unlawful, Defendants responded with open defiance, explicitly avowing that they need not-and will 'never'-obey the law."
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cooperating with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), earlier issued a warning letter to Genesis.
A preliminary injunction hearing was set for May 1. While Genesis is currently prohibited from hawking MMS under the temporary restraining order, the FDA is also seeking a permanent ruling and refunds for people who were sold the MMS.
The FDA warned last year that in truth, MMS is mere chlorine dioxide.
The self-proclaimed church featured a series of testimonials on the bleach mixture's efficacy against the coronavirus.
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