Ruby Franke gained millions of subscribers to her parental advice YouTube. She’s now facing jail for child abuse
Former family vlogger Ruby Franke was sentenced up to 60 years in prison on child abuse charges on Tuesday. Her former business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, received the same sentence as Ms Franke.
“With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty,” Ms Franke said as she stood before a judge in December, pleading guilty to a fourth count of aggravated child abuse.
Ms Franke was handed four one to 15-year sentences in prison, one for each of the four counts of child abuse to which she pleaded guilty back in December.
The woman who once ran a channel documenting her family’s life and even gave online parental advice, broke down in tears on Tuesday as she addressed the court, moments before a Utah judge sentenced her to jail.
“I’ll never stop crying for hurting your tender souls,” Franke said to her children, who were not at the sentencing hearing. “My willingness to sacrifice all for you was masterfully manipulated into something very ugly. I took from you all that was soft and safe and good.”
Franke told Judge John Walton that she would not argue for a shorter sentence, before she thanked local police officers, doctors and social workers for being the “angels” who saved her children from her at a time that she claims she was under the influence of Hildebrandt.
“I was led to believe the world was an evil place,” Franke said. “For the past four years, I have chosen to follow counsel and guidance that have led me to a dark delusion.”
Franke and Hildebrandt had each pleaded guilty
