Popular parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt have been sentenced to 30 years in prison — the most severe penalty available under Utah law — for child abuse charges on Tuesday.
The charges stem from one of Franke’s children escaping Hildebrandt’s house in August to beg a neighbour for help.
Franke has been sentenced to four consecutive prison terms which could range from one to 15 years each. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine prison time while Franke has 30 days to appeal the decision.
Hildebrandt received the same sentence as Franke.
Franke gave parenting advice on her now-defunct “8 Passengers” YouTube channel, and Hildebrandt operated a counselling business called ConneXions Classroom.
Both women were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, which is a second-degree felony and each carries a potential prison sentence of one to 15 years and a $10,000 fine.
State prosecutor Eric Clarke compared Franke’s children’s environment to a “concentration camp-like setting” and said Franke “committed horrible acts of child abuse”, while he deemed Hildebrandt a “significant threat” to the community.
Both women addressed the court before their sentences.
