An Ashland couple indicted by the federal government says their sales of a bleach product as a cure-all for conditions ranging from ear aches to cancer was protected by the U.S. constitution because it was done through a private association.

The government says such claims are misguided. Prosecutors say such operations can't operate illegally just by declaring that they are private.

The Medford Mail Tribune reports ( http://bit.ly/155hmwQ) 42-year-old Louis Daniel Smith and 38-year-old Karis Delong make the claims in federal court filings in Spokane, Wash., where the case is being heard.

A Washington state couple also has been indicted.

Prosecutors say the scheme involved online sales of a chemical to be mixed with citric acid, creating a diluted version of industrial bleach, and then consumed.

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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/