Ruby Franke, a YouTuber famous for offering parenting advice, has been given a maximum sentence after being found guilty of child abuse.
As previously reported, 42-year-old Franke, who had gained a substantial following of over 2.3 million subscribers on her controversial YouTube channel titled 8 Passengers, faced allegations of starving two of her children.
Franke's arrest in August came to light after her 12-year-old son, visibly emaciated and seeking help, reached out to a neighbor for food and water. Disturbingly, signs of restraint were evident on the young boy.
Prompted by a distressing 911 call, authorities intervened, leading to the immediate hospitalization of the child due to the severity of his condition. Similarly, Franke's 10-year-old daughter was hospitalized after being discovered malnourished at Franke's former business partner Jodi Hildebrandt's home.
Appearing in court wearing grey and white prison attire, Franke pleaded guilty to the initial three charges, expressing profound remorse towards her family and children.
As per BBC News, Franke's sentencing occurred yesterday (February 20) as she appeared in court alongside her former business partner Hildebrandt, 54, who also received an identical sentence.
Both women were sentenced to serve four terms of one to 15 years each, with the sentences to run consecutively, marking the maximum penalty for each count under Utah law.
The final duration of their incarceration will be determined by the state's parole board.
Utah prosecutor Eric Clarke, during the court proceedings, described the living conditions of Franke's children, then aged nine and 11, as akin to a "concentration camp-like setting."
He emphasized Franke's significant threat to the community, stating that the children were routinely deprived of basic necessities like food, water, proper bedding, and entertainment.
Franke, visibly distraught following the sentencing, addressed the court and expressed remorse towards her children, admitting her distorted perceptions.
Franke's legal representative, LaMar Winward, suggested that Franke had been unduly influenced by her business partner, Hildebrandt, a relationship counselor, who allegedly instilled in her a "distorted sense of morality."
"I was so disoriented that I believed dark was light and right was wrong," Franke said, attributing her actions to a misled understanding of the world.
Franke's rise to prominence on YouTube came through her channel 8 Passengers, which amassed over two million subscribers since its creation in 2015. However, suspicions among fans arose in 2020 when one of Franke's sons disclosed being forced to sleep on a bean bag for seven months.
Further scrutiny of Franke's content revealed disturbing disciplinary tactics, including withholding food and issuing severe punishments, such as "canceling" Christmas. A petition demanding an investigation gained thousands of signatures, leading to involvement from Utah's child protection agency.
Despite the initial dismissal of criticism by Franke and her husband, the channel's popularity dwindled, culminating in its deletion in 2022 coinciding with Franke's separation from her husband.
The plea agreement unveiled shocking details of abuse, with Hildebrandt admitting to either inflicting or being complicit in the mistreatment of Franke's children.
Franke's ex-husband, Kevin Franke, through his lawyer, advocated for the maximum sentence, denouncing the abuse endured by his children as horrific and inhumane.