Several charged in bleach 'miracle' cure

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ASHLAND, Ore., Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Two Oregon men were charged with fraud for allegedly making and selling industrial bleach as a cure for numerous illnesses, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Louis Daniel Smith, 42, and Karis Delong, 38, both of Ashland, were charged with defrauding regulators and suppliers, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. Officials said the alleged scheme was to manufacture and sell industrial bleach as a cure for an array of illnesses -- including arthritis, cancer and the seasonal flu.

The statement said Chris Olson, 49, and Tammy Olson, 50, of Nine Mile Falls, Wash., were also charged.

A federal indictment unsealed Tuesday charges Smith, Delong and Tammy Olson with one count of conspiracy, four counts of interstate sales of misbranded drugs, and one count of smuggling.

The indictment charged Chris Olson with one count of conspiracy, one count of the interstate sale of a misbranded drug and one count of smuggling.

The Justice Department said the indictment alleges Smith and Delong operated a business called "Project GreenLife" from 2004 to 2011, which provided various health products for sale over the Internet.

The indictment alleged Smith and Delong arranged the manufacture and sale of the "Miracle Mineral Supplement," a mixture of sodium chlorite and water. Project GreenLife provided customers with instruction to combine the supplement with citric acid and to drink it, the department said.

Sodium chlorite is not meant for human consumption, and suppliers of the chemical include a warning with the chemical that it is harmful if swallowed.

It is alleged Tammy Olson continued selling MMS on her own website after federal agents shut down the Project GreenLife website and production facilities.