A woman known for giving out harsh parenting advice on YouTube has been sentenced to four to 60 years in prison. Ruby Franke, 42, admitted to starving and abusing her children and apologized in court for her actions.
In addition, her former business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, received the same sentence. The prosecution described the conditions in which the children lived as being “concentration camp-like” and stated that the children were regularly denied food, water, beds, and any forms of entertainment.
Franke appeared in YouTube videos, amassing over two million subscribers before being arrested for her mistreatment of her children. The abuse was brought to light after Franke’s malnourished 12-year-old son sought help from a neighbor and was found with lacerations from being tied up with rope. Despite initially dismissing criticism and claiming that some of their clips had been taken out of context, the couple’s channel was eventually deleted in 2022.
The abuse also extended to Hildebrandt’s involvement, who admitted in a plea agreement that she either tortured the children or was aware of the abuse. The children were subjected to beatings, neglect, and forced to work outdoors in the sun without sunscreen, resulting in serious sunburns.
Franke’s ex-husband, who described the abuse as “horrific and inhumane,” requested the maximum sentence be imposed. The sentencing is the maximum allowable under Utah law, and how much time each will ultimately serve will be determined by the state’s parole board.
