Order Continuing Trial — No. 1:21-cr-20242 (Dkt. 44, S.D. Fla.)

Summary

Order Continuing Trial, Document 44 entered July 14, 2021 in United States v. Mark Scott Grenon, Jonathan David Grenon, Jordan Paul Grenon and Joseph Timothy Grenon, Case No. 21-20242-CR-ALTONAGA in the Southern District of Florida. The Government moved (ECF No. 41) to continue the trial set for September 27, 2021, saying the four are charged with a decade-long conspiracy to sell toxic bleach as a miracle cure for diseases including COVID-19, plus criminal contempt, and that Mark and Joseph Grenon are in Colombia contesting extradition. After a July 13, 2021 hearing, Cecilia M. Altonaga, Chief United States District Judge, grants the motion and excludes the time from July 6, 2021 until trial under 18 U.S.C. § 3161. Pleas are due by February 25, 2022, calendar call is March 8, 2022, and trial is set for the two-week period beginning March 14, 2022.

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Case 1:21-cr-20242-CMA Document 44 Entered on FLSD Docket 07/14/2021 Page 1 of 3




                              UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
                              SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

                              CASE NO. 21-20242-CR-ALTONAGA

  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

         Plaintiff,
  vs.

  MARK SCOTT GRENON,
  JONATHAN DAVID GRENON,
  JORDAN PAUL GRENON, and
  JOSEPH TIMOTHY GRENON,

        Defendants.
  _______________________________/

                                  ORDER CONTINUING TRIAL

         THIS CAUSE came before the Court on the Government’s Motion to Continue Trial [ECF

  No. 41]. Jury trial was set for the two-week period commencing September 27, 2021. (See Order

  Setting Trial Date [ECF No. 40] 1). The Government requests the Court continue trial in this

  matter until March 28, 2022. (See Mot. 13). The Court held a hearing on the Motion on July 13,

  2021. The Court has considered the Motion, and being otherwise fully advised, the Motion is

  granted.

         Defendant, Mark Grenon and his three sons, Defendants, Jonathan, Jordan, and Joseph

  Grenon, “are charged with leading a decade-long conspiracy in which they sold toxic bleach as a

  ‘miracle’ cure for a litany of serious diseases and disorders, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, autism,

  Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and, most recently, COVID-19.”             (Mot. 1).   In

  addition, all four Defendants are charged with criminal contempt because they allegedly defied a

  district judge’s order to cease distributing their toxic bleach and then threatened the judge with

  violence. (See id.).
Case 1:21-cr-20242-CMA Document 44 Entered on FLSD Docket 07/14/2021 Page 2 of 3



                                                           CASE NO. 21-20242-CR-ALTONAGA

         Defendants, Mark and Joseph Grenon are presently in Colombia, contesting “extradition

  proceedings initiated by the United States to secure their return to the Southern District of Florida

  for prosecution.” (Id.). Considering these two Defendants are contesting their extraditions, it is

  doubtful they will be present in this District and ready for trial on September 27. (See id.). The

  Government requests a six-month continuance of trial to allow time for Mark and Joseph Grenon

  to be extradited and all four charged conspirators to be tried together. (See id.). According to

  the Government, a joint trial would reduce the risk of inconsistent verdicts, lighten the burden on

  victims and witnesses, increase efficiency, and conserve scarce judicial resources. (See id. at 8).

  The Court agrees.

         Accordingly, it is

         ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the Motion is GRANTED. The interests of justice

  served by a continuance outweigh any interest of the public or the Defendants in a speedy trial.

  As a result, the period of delay resulting from this continuance — i.e., from the date the Motion

  was filed, July 6, 2021, to the date trial commences — is excludable time under the Speedy Trial

  Act. See 18 U.S.C. § 3161. The parties shall adhere to the following pre-trial and trial schedule:

         1.      All pre-trial motions and motions in limine must be filed by January 24, 2022.

  Each party is limited to filing one motion in limine; if there is more than one Defendant, Defendants

  shall file a combined motion. Motions in limine may exceed the page limits allowed by the Rules.




                                                   2
Case 1:21-cr-20242-CMA Document 44 Entered on FLSD Docket 07/14/2021 Page 3 of 3



                                                         CASE NO. 21-20242-CR-ALTONAGA

         2.      The deadline for the tendering of guilty pleas is February 25, 2022. See, e.g.,

  United States v. Gamboa, 166 F.3d 1327, 1331 (11th Cir. 1999) (citing United States v. Ellis, 547

  F.2d 863, 868 (5th Cir. 1977)).

         3.      Calendar call will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. The case is

  set for Jury Trial during the two-week trial period that begins March 14, 2022.

         DONE AND ORDERED in Miami, Florida, this 13th day of July, 2021.



                                                _______________________________________
                                                CECILIA M. ALTONAGA
                                                CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

  cc:    counsel of record
         Defendants, pro se




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