Anti-vaxxer jailed for selling bleach as Covid-19 cure in New Zealand
A New Zealand anti-vaxxer has been jailed for selling more than $100,000 worth of an industrial bleach as a “miracle” cure for Covid-19.
Roger Blake, who describes himself as a “human man”, was sentenced to just over 10 months’ imprisonment after being found guilty at trial of 29 charges in the Hamilton District Court.
Blake advertised and sold Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) products, claiming it could treat, prevent and cure coronavirus.
However, New Zealand’s Ministry of Health had not approved the product, and detailed that when ingested became chlorine dioxide – a bleach commonly used for water treatment, bleaching textiles and paper.
The court heard Blake had marketed the product as a cure in New Zealand from the start of the pandemic between December 2019 and December 2020.
Medsafe, the health ministry’s safety authority, said Blake’s company had sales of NZ$160,000 ($148,800) in that period – with sales spiking in March when the country was placed in lockdown.
In sentencing the Waikato man, Judge Brett Crowley said Blake’s behaviour had been “utterly disgraceful”.
The judge added Blake had “seized upon the tragedy” of the pandemic for financial gain.
Before selling MMS as a “cure” for the coronavirus, Blake had previously marketed the product as a preventive of other diseases and illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and HIV.
Medsafe prosecuted him under the Medicines Act, with compliance manager Derek Fitzgerald saying the “fake cure” Blake spruiked presented a “significant public health risk”.
“He targeted the vulnerable, preyed on public fears and exposed people to harm”, he said.
“This decision sends a strong message that people who engage in selling so called ‘miracle cures’ will be held to account and face fines or imprisonment.”
The website which sold MMS in New Zealand was registered to US-based Mark Grenon, who set up the “Genesis II Church of Health and Healing”.
Florida man Grenon and his three sons were in October jailed for several years in the US for selling more than US$1m (AU$1.519m) of the product.
Michael Homer, an assistant US lawyer who prosecuted the case, said at the time the family targeted people suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
The Grenons poisoned thousands of people with their bogus miracle cure, which was nothing more than industrial bleach,” he said.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration also issued $151,000 in fines to a company advertising MMS in Australia in May 2020.
