Former family video blogger Ruby Franke sentenced to 4 years in prison 1 to 15 years' imprisonment The Utah District Court's decision Tuesday ended a month-long child abuse lawsuit filed against the mother of six children.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will decide Franke's prison term.
The length of time spent in prison is determined by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
In audio of the sentencing hearing, which was streamed on the Utah court website, Franke tearfully apologized to her children.
“I…believed that darkness was light and right was wrong,” she said. “I would do anything in this world for you. I robbed you of everything soft and safe and good.”
She also addressed the court with Judge John Walton.
“For the past four years, I have chosen to follow advice and guidance that led me into dark delusions. My distorted reality went largely unchecked as I isolated myself from those who challenged me.”
Franke's business partner, Jody Hildebrandt, is also expected to be sentenced. The pair pleaded guilty in December to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse, months after being charged with six counts of felony child abuse.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in August 2023 after police found one of Franke's sons weakened by an open wound and bound with duct tape. He had fled from Hildebrandt's house to his neighbor's house. One of Franke's daughters was also found in a similarly malnourished state at Hildebrandt's home.
Lawyers for Mr. Hildebrandt and Mr. Franke did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Although Franke is not an A-list celebrity, her case has garnered public attention. Some online commentators said they felt the family-friendly vlog was helping bring new attention to the dark underbelly of her channel.
Franke, her husband Kevin Franke, and their six children rose to fame on YouTube, amassing 2.3 million subscribers on the now-defunct Channel 8 Passengers. Franke also frequently collaborated with Hildebrandt on her controversial parenting and relationship advice videos.
The Fran family's strict parenting style even led some viewers to report the show to the authorities. Franke also faced backlash for a video in which she refused to bring her then-6-year-old child's lunch because she had forgotten to pack it, and threatened to throw away the children's prized belongings.
Hildebrandt is also facing intense scrutiny for her life coaching service, ConneXions, which some former clients told NBC News was a program that isolates them from loved ones and destroys marriages. He explained that.
Franke, who has been held without bail since her arrest, is pursuing “personal growth and rehabilitation” by apologizing to her family and trying to reconcile, the law firm representing her said in December. Announced.
Read more coverage of Franke by NBC News:
Franke's lawyers say that Hildebrandt “systematically isolated” her from her family for an extended period of time, leading Franke to develop a “distorted sense of morality” under Hildebrandt's influence. Stated.
In November, Kevin Franke filed for divorce. His attorney, Randy Kester, told TODAY.com in September that the couple had been living apart for 13 months “at Ruby's direction.”
Franke's lawyers said at the time of filing the divorce papers that Franke was “devastated” by the news, but that she understood Kevin Franke's point and respected his decision. Ta.
The statement also said she would “cooperate fully” to reunite the children with their father.
Kester, the attorney representing the children, Virginia Blanchard and Kevin Franke, did not respond to a request for comment ahead of Tuesday's ruling.
