Former family vlogger Ruby Franke was sentenced to four one-to-15 year terms in prison by a Utah district court on Tuesday, ending a monthslong child abuse case brought against the mother of six.
Franke’s business partner Jodi Hildebrandt was also sentenced to four one-to-15 year prison terms on Tuesday. Both women will serve their sentences consecutively.
According to Utah law, the maximum aggregate sentence for consecutive terms is 30 years. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine how long Franke and Hildebrandt will spend incarcerated.
During the sentencing hearing, audio of which was streamed on Utah Court’s website, Franke teared up while apologizing to her kids.
“I … believed dark was light and right was wrong,” she said. “I would do anything in this world for you. I took from you all that was soft, and safe and good.”
She also addressed Judge John Walton and the courtroom.
“For the past four years, I’ve chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion,” she said. “My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me.”
Franke and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in December, several months after being charged with six counts of felony child abuse. Franke previously agreed to testify against Hildebrandt in exchange for the county attorney’s neutrality in future hearings with the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
The two were arrested in August 2023 after police found one of Franke’s sons emaciated with open wounds and bound with duct tape. He had escaped Hildebrandt’s home to a neighbor’s house. One of Franke’s daughters was found in a similar malnourished condition in Hildebrandt’s home.
Hildebrandt also gave a brief statement to the court on Tuesday.
“I desire for [the children] to heal physically and emotionally,” she said. “One of the reasons I did not go to trial is because I did not want them to emotionally relive the experience which would have been detrimental to them. My hope and prayer is that they will heal and move forward to have beautiful lives.”
Attorneys for Hildebrandt and Franke did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
While Franke is not an A-list celebrity, her case has become a public spectacle. Some online commentators said they feel it has helped bring renewed attention to a dark underside of family vlogging channels.
Franke, her husband, Kevin Franke, and their six children rose to prominence on YouTube, where they had amassed 2.3 million subscribers to their now-defunct channel 8 Passengers. Franke also frequently collaborated on controversial parenting and relationship advice videos with Hildebrandt.
The Frankes’ strict parenting style had previously led some viewers to report them to authorities. Franke had also faced backlash for videos in which she refused to bring her then-6-year-old lunch after the child forgot to pack food and threatened to throw away her children’s prized possessions.
Hildebrandt also faced scrutiny over her life coaching service, ConneXions, which some former clients described to NBC News as a program that isolated them from loved ones and destroyed marriages.
Franke, who was held without bail since her arrest, is pursuing “personal growth and rehabilitation” by apologizing to and trying to reconcile with members of her family, the law firm representing her said in December.
Read more of NBC News’ coverage of Franke:
Lawyers for Franke said Hildebrandt “systematically isolated” Franke from her family over a prolonged period of time, which caused her to adopt a “distorted sense of morality” under Hildebrandt’s influence.
In November, Kevin Franke filed for divorce. Randy Kester, his attorney, told TODAY.com in September that the couple had been separated for 13 months “at Ruby’s directive.”
Lawyers for Franke said at the time of the divorce filing that she was “devastated” by the news, but that she understood Kevin Franke’s reasoning and respected his decision.
The statement also noted that she offered her “full cooperation” to help reunite their children with their father.
Virginia Blanchard, who has been representing the children, and Kester, Kevin Franke’s attorney, did not respond to requests for comment made ahead of Tuesday’s sentencing.
