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Fox News
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Ruby Franke abuse pushes Utah to shift money, power from mommy bloggers to child influencers
The eldest daughter of disgraced Utah parenting blogger Ruby Franke has taken action to help protect other kids with a new child actor law in her home state. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill that Shari Franke helped promote, HB322, which gives certain payment and privacy protections to minors involved in entertainment, which could include traditional acting, i.e. acting in TV commercials, or acting in social media content. "I have been working on drafting HB322 that would protect child influencers in our state," Shari Franke said in a February Instagram post. "This bill would require parents to create a trust fund for their children and require parents to pay children a minimum amount. It would also allow children influencers, at 18, to have any content they appeared in to be removed from all social media platforms." Shari added that certain family bloggers and lobbyists in Utah are against the legislation, but wrote that "[i]f family vlogging is as good as 'ethical' family vloggers want you to think, they should not fear being mandated to pay their children (because they say the children are already being paid anyway)." "And if children are supposedly consenting to being filmed, why fear the kids would want content removed once 18?" she wrote. Shari's support of HB322 is one of many actions she has taken to try and help protect the rights of children whose parents are social media influencers since her mother pleaded guilty to multiple counts of child abuse in 2023 and sentenced to years in prison. Democratic Utah State Rep. Doug Owens, who sponsored the bill, explained its purpose to Fox News Digital. "It's a bill that has a couple different parts: one is it protects traditional child actors, like in the film industry or making commercials, [it] has their parents set aside 15% of their earnings for when they become an adult, and that is copying a number of other states," Owens said. "And then it goes further and also includes protections for children in social media content." He added that it is "usually" children's parents featuring kids in their content and, in turn, earning money from that content. "It … requires the parents or other adult to save some of that money for the kids when they get to be an adult," he said. "And then it also has a third part, which says that if you are a child in content creation, when you get to be an adult and you find that content embarrassing or emotionally damaging in some way, you can have that removed from the website later so that it gives kids some protection for when they get to be an adult." "[I]f you are a child in content creation, when you get to be an adult and you find that content embarrassing or emotionally damaging in some way, you can have that removed." Ruby Franke, a 43-year-old mother of six, and Jodi Hildebrandt, a 55-year-old mother of two, ran a joint parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel called ConneXions Classrooms before they were arrested and pleaded guilty to four of six counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in a St. George courtroom in December 2023. Utah authorities initially arrested Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt for abusing Franke's two youngest children, a 9-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy, after Franke's son approached a neighbor for help in 2022, and the neighbor called 911. Some of the abuse occurred in Hildebrandt's home in Ivins, Utah. Prior to ConneXions, Ruby Franke ran a parenting vlog, or video blog, called 8Passengers, centered around her own family of six children and two parents. But the 8Passengers empire came crumbling down once users started to notice Franke's unusual behavior and punishments for her children. Ruby Franke stopped posting to the 8Passengers YouTube channel after her last video was uploaded on June 5, 2019. Fox News is not aware of any evidence that Ruby Franke or anyone associated with 8Passengers engaged in any illegal conduct during the period she was actively vlogging on the 8Passengers YouTube channel. Franke and Hildebrandt were both sentenced to serve up to 30 years in prison. Shari also wrote a memoir titled "The House of My Mother," in which she explains how she and her siblings were listed as 8Passengers LLC's "employees." In dozens of YouTube videos and social media posts, Franke and Hildebrandt coached parents in calm voices from a living room couch on how to raise their children in "truth." In a video posted just before their arrests, Hildebrandt said pain can be a good thing for children of a certain age. The case has prompted discussions about how parenting and lifestyle blogs often present only a sliver of a person's or family's reality, as well as children's rights to their own privacy if their parent is a social media star.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Yahoo
Utah mommy blogger Ruby Franke's power, public image allowed child abuse to go 'unchecked': expert
The "power" and "public image" of disgraced Utah parenting blogger and mom of six Ruby Franke, who is facing up to 30 years in prison for child abuse, allowed her crimes against her children to go "unchecked," according to a criminal defense attorney. Franke, 43, and Jodi Hildebrandt, a 55-year-old mother of two, ran a joint parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel called ConneXions Classrooms before they were arrested and pleaded guilty to four of six counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in a St. George courtroom in December 2023. "Cases of child abuse are unfortunately familiar, but this one stands out for how power, public image and systemic failures allowed it to go on unchecked," Jamie E. Wright, a Los Angeles millennial trial attorney and founder/CEO of the Wright Law Firm, told Fox News Digital. "Over the years, Franke built up an online persona as the perfect mom, giving parenting advice to millions. But behind the carefully constructed smiles was a darker truth — a world of starvation, isolation and brutal punishment." Wright added that the Franke/Hildebrandt case is "a sobering reminder that social media can mask dysfunction with a gleaming facade." Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke's Husband Says 'Some Crazy S--t' Went On In Abuse Accomplice's $5.3M Fortress Prior to meeting Hildebrandt, Franke ran a successful parenting video blog, or vlog, on YouTube called 8Passengers, representing herself, her husband and their six children. The vlog was a success, with more than 2 million followers, generating the majority of her family's income for years. Read On The Fox News App But the 8Passengers empire came crumbling down once users started to notice Franke's unusual behavior and punishments for her children. The story of Franke's downfall is captured in a new Hulu documentary called "Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke." Youtube Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke, Co-host Jodi Hildebrandt Sentenced For Child Abuse: 'Dark Delusion' "I want our channel to be a ray of sunshine in a world where people just criticize each other and make each other feel bad," Franke said in one early video shown in the documentary. "We're here to show that happy families are reality." But other clips shown in the series are not the happy, edited versions Franke posted to social media. They show another side of the mommy blogger — one that had a short temper when her children or husband did things she didn't like. Utah Police Discover 'Panic Room' Inside Abusive Mommy Blogger Accomplice's $5.3M Desert Home In one clip, Franke ordered her eldest son, Chad Franke, to "fake being happy." "All of a sudden, it wasn't enough to just interact with her," Franke's husband, Kevin Franke, said in the documentary. Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke Asked Daughter For One Thing Before Arrest: Memoir "I had to interact with the camera … and she would pull it out and say, 'Kevin, this camera is millions of people watching us.'" Brannon Patrick, a clinical therapist who briefly worked under Hildebrandt and who is featured in the documentary series, said it was "fascinating" to watch Franke go from "happy" to "upset and angry" in the unedited videos. "The reality is, everybody has issues and everybody has struggles, and nobody is perfect, and nobody can be perfect. And so on one hand, we're presenting this ideal thing. On the other hand, the reality is something completely different," Patrick said. "Immediately when it all blew up, it was crazy. All these anti-Mormon podcasters … were just going off about it and how the church was complicit in it and just the church's teachings about sexuality and those types of things … really became front and center," he explained. "And this triggered those talks … about perfectionism and being fake — acting like you're one way in front of people but when the doors are closed, it's actually quite the opposite." RUBY FRANKE'S HUSBAND DETAILS WIFE'S 'CRAZY' RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILD-ABUSE ACCOMPLICE: Chad started to see a change in his mother once large checks started rolling in from her constant content creation. His mother had a shorter circuit and would lash out when her children were not behaving the way she wanted them to behave or responding how she wanted them to respond — particularly while she was recording and trying to portray a certain perfect image of her family. The popularity of 8Passengers began to dwindle after Chad admitted nonchalantly in one of the videos she posted to her account that he had been sleeping on a beanbag for seven months as punishment for his behavior, and Franke's followers lashed out. Hildebrandt entered Franke's life after 8Passengers fell apart, and the two pals decided to create ConneXions Classrooms. "Jodi just threw fuel on the fire and the fire that was already burning and took it to the extremes," Patrick said. Youtube Mommy Bloggers Arrested On Allegations Of Child Abuse: 'Finally' ConneXions Classrooms sold counseling sessions, packages and retreats ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. In one ConneXions Classroom episode, Franke told her viewers, "If your child comes to you on fire, you don't pat them on the head and say, 'It's OK, I'll help you.' No, you beat them, and you kick them, and you hit them with a rod. You cannot put welts on your child's legs and then lovingly apply gauze and expect healing." Patrick said he would diagnose Hildebrandt with clinical narcissism. "I don't use that word lightly because I know it's thrown around way too much," he said. "But she was a narcissist. … She was charming enough to draw people in, but she still, to me, felt very disconnected as a human being. She was very convincing in her speech, but she was disconnected. Her family life wasn't good. She didn't have any really close friends." Utah Children's Book Author Sent Damning Text To Lover Before Hubby Poison Plot: Docs Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X In 2023, Utah authorities arrested the two pals and business partners for abusing Franke's two youngest children, a 9-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy. Some of the abuse occurred in Hildebrandt's home. The allegations against Franke and Hildebrandt only came to light after Franke's son fled Hildebrandt's Ivins home and ran to a neighbor, who called 911 after seeing the malnourished boy with duct tape on his wrists and ankles. "Social media helped Ruby Franke build a brand around extreme parenting, which likely made it harder for people to see the red flags," trauma therapist Malka Shaw, founder of Kesher Shalom Projects, told Fox News Digital. "When someone presents as the authority on family values, there's often a reluctance to question them—even when the content itself is unsettling." HEAR THE 911 CALL: Wright noted that when "a family's life becomes abrand, perception triumphs over wellness." "And thus secrecy thrives, and controltightens," she said. "Ruby's oldest daughter, Shari, has since spoken out about the damage that was done, joining a growing chorus of former child influencers and reality stars who have recently discussed the dangers of living their lives without protections in the public eye." Shari explained in the documentary how her mother's company, 8Passengers LLC, listed Franke's six children as "employees." Wright said the "most haunting question of all" in the Franke-Hildebrandt case is why the abuse was not "halted sooner." Shari Franke has also talked about how she tried for years to get the Department of Family and Child Services to take action against her mother in her memoir. "Child protectionagencies are often under-resourced, hesitant to intervene in cases where the accused is a respected member of the community. A good image can be carefully curated, and a cover for an abuser for years," Wright explained. She added that for many Utah locals, the case was a "betrayal." SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter "Franke wasn't just another influencer; she was a sort of moral authority," Wright said. "Her fall has sparked a conversation about how child welfare regulations should apply to content creators, and what ethical obligations content creators have to the subjects of their work. How do we protect children in digital media How do we ensure that they're protected and that their rights and privacy are protected?" Franke and Hildebrandt were both sentenced to serve four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison. Ruby Franke spoke publicly for the first time at her sentencing hearing last year. "For the past four years, I've chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion," a teary Franke said in a statement at the time. "My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me. I was led to believe this world was an evil place, filled with cops who control, hospitals that injure, government agencies that brainwash, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who refuse to protect, children who need abuse." Click To Get The Fox News App She continued: "To my babies, my six little chicks, you are part of me," she continued. "I was the momma duck who was consistently waddling you to safety. … In the past four years, I was consistently leading you to danger." The case has prompted discussions about how parenting and lifestyle blogs often present only a sliver of a person's or family's reality, as well as children's rights to their own privacy if their parent is a social media article source: Utah mommy blogger Ruby Franke's power, public image allowed child abuse to go 'unchecked': expert
Fox News
04-03-2025
- Fox News
Utah mommy blogger Ruby Franke's power, public image allowed child abuse to go 'unchecked': expert
The "power" and "public image" of disgraced Utah parenting blogger and mom of six Ruby Franke, who is facing up to 30 years in prison for child abuse, allowed her crimes against her children to go "unchecked," according to a criminal defense attorney. Franke, 43, and Jodi Hildebrandt, a 55-year-old mother of two, ran a joint parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel called ConneXions Classrooms before they were arrested and pleaded guilty to four of six counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in a St. George courtroom in December 2023. "Cases of child abuse are unfortunately familiar, but this one stands out for how power, public image and systemic failures allowed it to go on unchecked," Jamie E. Wright, a Los Angeles millennial trial attorney and founder/CEO of the Wright Law Firm, told Fox News Digital. "Over the years, Franke built up an online persona as the perfect mom, giving parenting advice to millions. But behind the carefully constructed smiles was a darker truth — a world of starvation, isolation and brutal punishment." Wright added that the Franke/Hildebrandt case is "a sobering reminder that social media can mask dysfunction with a gleaming facade." Prior to meeting Hildebrandt, Franke ran a successful parenting video blog, or vlog, on YouTube called 8Passengers, representing herself, her husband and their six children. The vlog was a success, with more than 2 million followers, generating the majority of her family's income for years. But the 8Passengers empire came crumbling down once users started to notice Franke's unusual behavior and punishments for her children. The story of Franke's downfall is captured in a new Hulu documentary called "Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke." "I want our channel to be a ray of sunshine in a world where people just criticize each other and make each other feel bad," Franke said in one early video shown in the documentary. "We're here to show that happy families are reality." But other clips shown in the series are not the happy, edited versions Franke posted to social media. They show another side of the mommy blogger — one that had a short temper when her children or husband did things she didn't like. In one clip, Franke ordered her eldest son, Chad Franke, to "fake being happy." "All of a sudden, it wasn't enough to just interact with her," Franke's husband, Kevin Franke, said in the documentary. "I had to interact with the camera … and she would pull it out and say, 'Kevin, this camera is millions of people watching us.'" Brannon Patrick, a clinical therapist who briefly worked under Hildebrandt and who is featured in the documentary series, said it was "fascinating" to watch Franke go from "happy" to "upset and angry" in the unedited videos. "The reality is, everybody has issues and everybody has struggles, and nobody is perfect, and nobody can be perfect. And so on one hand, we're presenting this ideal thing. On the other hand, the reality is something completely different," Patrick said. "Immediately when it all blew up, it was crazy. All these anti-Mormon podcasters … were just going off about it and how the church was complicit in it and just the church's teachings about sexuality and those types of things … really became front and center," he explained. "And this triggered those talks … about perfectionism and being fake — acting like you're one way in front of people but when the doors are closed, it's actually quite the opposite." RUBY FRANKE'S HUSBAND DETAILS WIFE'S 'CRAZY' RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILD-ABUSE ACCOMPLICE: Chad started to see a change in his mother once large checks started rolling in from her constant content creation. His mother had a shorter circuit and would lash out when her children were not behaving the way she wanted them to behave or responding how she wanted them to respond — particularly while she was recording and trying to portray a certain perfect image of her family. The popularity of 8Passengers began to dwindle after Chad admitted nonchalantly in one of the videos she posted to her account that he had been sleeping on a beanbag for seven months as punishment for his behavior, and Franke's followers lashed out. Hildebrandt entered Franke's life after 8Passengers fell apart, and the two pals decided to create ConneXions Classrooms. "I think we have a culture of perfectionism and shame in many ways, and … [the Franke case] just illustrated it." "Jodi just threw fuel on the fire and the fire that was already burning and took it to the extremes," Patrick said. ConneXions Classrooms sold counseling sessions, packages and retreats ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. In one ConneXions Classroom episode, Franke told her viewers, "If your child comes to you on fire, you don't pat them on the head and say, 'It's OK, I'll help you.' No, you beat them, and you kick them, and you hit them with a rod. You cannot put welts on your child's legs and then lovingly apply gauze and expect healing." Patrick said he would diagnose Hildebrandt with clinical narcissism. "She was really lonely." "I don't use that word lightly because I know it's thrown around way too much," he said. "But she was a narcissist. … She was charming enough to draw people in, but she still, to me, felt very disconnected as a human being. She was very convincing in her speech, but she was disconnected. Her family life wasn't good. She didn't have any really close friends." In 2023, Utah authorities arrested the two pals and business partners for abusing Franke's two youngest children, a 9-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy. Some of the abuse occurred in Hildebrandt's home. The allegations against Franke and Hildebrandt only came to light after Franke's son fled Hildebrandt's Ivins home and ran to a neighbor, who called 911 after seeing the malnourished boy with duct tape on his wrists and ankles. "Social media helped Ruby Franke build a brand around extreme parenting, which likely made it harder for people to see the red flags," trauma therapist Malka Shaw, founder of Kesher Shalom Projects, told Fox News Digital. "When someone presents as the authority on family values, there's often a reluctance to question them—even when the content itself is unsettling." HEAR THE 911 CALL: Wright noted that when "a family's life becomes abrand, perception triumphs over wellness." "And thus secrecy thrives, and controltightens," she said. "Ruby's oldest daughter, Shari, has since spoken out about the damage that was done, joining a growing chorus of former child influencers and reality stars who have recently discussed the dangers of living their lives without protections in the public eye." Shari explained in the documentary how her mother's company, 8Passengers LLC, listed Franke's six children as "employees." "When children are treated as commodities, they are vulnerable in every way, shape and form — whether living in a suburban home or in Hollywood." Wright said the "most haunting question of all" in the Franke-Hildebrandt case is why the abuse was not "halted sooner." Shari Franke has also talked about how she tried for years to get the Department of Family and Child Services to take action against her mother in her memoir. "Child protectionagencies are often under-resourced, hesitant to intervene in cases where the accused is a respected member of the community. A good image can be carefully curated, and a cover for an abuser for years," Wright explained. She added that for many Utah locals, the case was a "betrayal." SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER "Franke wasn't just another influencer; she was a sort of moral authority," Wright said. "Her fall has sparked a conversation about how child welfare regulations should apply to content creators, and what ethical obligations content creators have to the subjects of their work. How do we protect children in digital media How do we ensure that they're protected and that their rights and privacy are protected?" Franke and Hildebrandt were both sentenced to serve four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison. Ruby Franke spoke publicly for the first time at her sentencing hearing last year. "For the past four years, I've chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion," a teary Franke said in a statement at the time. "My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me. I was led to believe this world was an evil place, filled with cops who control, hospitals that injure, government agencies that brainwash, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who refuse to protect, children who need abuse." She continued: "To my babies, my six little chicks, you are part of me," she continued. "I was the momma duck who was consistently waddling you to safety. … In the past four years, I was consistently leading you to danger." The case has prompted discussions about how parenting and lifestyle blogs often present only a sliver of a person's or family's reality, as well as children's rights to their own privacy if their parent is a social media star.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Husband of Ruby Franke, Utah mommy blogger convicted of child abuse, has 'regrets' after wife's fall from fame
Kevin Franke, estranged husband of disgraced Utah parenting blogger and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke, says he has "regrets" about how he handled his wife's descent into chaos. Ruby Franke, a 43-year-old mother of six, and Jodi Hildebrandt, a 55-year-old mother of two, ran a joint parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel called ConneXions Classrooms before they were arrested and pleaded guilty to four of six counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in a St. George courtroom in December 2023. "The bottom line is: I was choosing to trust a licensed professional mental health counselor and my wife, and they gave some terrible counsel. And I have regrets. And I wish I hadn't done those things," Kevin Franke told "Good Morning America" in an interview that aired Tuesday morning. Ruby and Hildebrandt had partnered to create a joint parenting and lifestyle vlog, or video blog, called ConneXions Classrooms that sold counseling sessions, packages and retreats ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Child-abusing Mommy Bloggers Ruby Franke And Friend Sued Over Alleged Fraud Scheme Targeting Parents "I don't think I'll ever stop loving her," Kevin said when asked if he still loves Ruby. "Does that mean that I want to let her back into my life? Let her back into my kids' lives? Absolutely not." Read On The Fox News App Prior to ConneXions Classrooms, Franke ran her own parenting vlog on social media for years called 8Passengers, representing herself, her husband and their six children. Her 8Passengers social media pages generated the majority of the family's income when it gained popularity. Ruby's videos shared an intimate view of her family's seemingly perfect life and had more than 2.5 million subscribers before her downfall. Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke Asked Daughter For One Thing Before Arrest: Memoir The popularity began to dwindle, however, after her eldest son admitted nonchalantly in one of the videos she posted to her account that he had been sleeping on a beanbag for seven months as punishment for his behavior. Hildebrandt entered Ruby's life after 8 Passengers fell apart, and the two pals decided to create ConneXions Classrooms. In one ConneXions Classroom episode, Ruby tells her viewers, "If your child comes to you on fire, you don't pat them on the head and say, 'It's OK, I'll help you.' No, you beat them, and you kick them, and you hit them with a rod. You cannot put welts on your child's legs and then lovingly apply gauze and expect healing," according to the memoir. Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke's Husband Says 'Some Crazy S--t' Went On In Abuse Accomplice's $5.3M Fortress Kevin and his eldest son, Chad Franke, are speaking out for the first time since Ruby was sentenced and ahead of the premiere of a new documentary about Ruby's crimes called "Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke." The documentary includes clips of Ruby lashing out at her family in newly unearthed video clips that did not make it to her social media profiles. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub In one clip, Ruby orders Chad to "fake being happy." "I think once companies started coming to us, offering big money for scripts," things started to change, Chad told "GMA," adding later that his mother's social media job was a "chaotic experience." "Lots of yelling, lots of snapping, lots of time-outs in the corner," he recalled. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X Utah authorities eventually arrested Ruby and Hildebrandt in August 2023 for abusing Franke's two youngest children, a 9-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy, after yearslong efforts by Ruby's eldest daughter, Shari Franke, to get the Department of Family and Child Services to take action against her mother. Some of the abuse occurred in Hildebrandt's multimillion-dollar home in Ivins, Utah. The allegations against Franke and Hildebrandt only came to light after Franke's son fled Hildebrandt's Ivins home and ran to a neighbor, who called 911 after seeing the malnourished boy with duct tape on his wrists and ankles. SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter "It was so outlandish to me that it had to have been fabricated," Kevin Franke told "GMA" when asked about his initial reaction to his wife's arrest. Franke and Hildebrandt were both sentenced to serve four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison. Now, Kevin is warning of the dangers of social media after his family's once-private life was put under a microscope. "There is real danger when you place yourself, or your family, your children, out onto public social media," he told "GMA." Click To Get The Fox News App In dozens of YouTube videos and social media posts, Franke and Hildebrandt coached parents in calm voices from a living room couch on how to raise their children in "truth." In a video posted just before their arrests, Hildebrandt said pain can be a good thing for children of a certain age. The case has prompted discussions about how parenting and lifestyle blogs often present only a sliver of a person's or family's reality, as well as children's rights to their own privacy if their parent is a social media article source: Husband of Ruby Franke, Utah mommy blogger convicted of child abuse, has 'regrets' after wife's fall from fame
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Yahoo
Child-abusing mommy bloggers Ruby Franke and friend sued over alleged fraud scheme targeting parents
A Utah man claims he lost more than $1 million in earning potential after his spouse became enthralled with disgraced Utah parenting bloggers Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt's bizarre and pricey online "counseling." Franke, a 43-year-old mother of six, and Hildebrandt, a 55-year-old mother of two, ran a joint parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel called ConneXions Classrooms before they were arrested and pleaded guilty to four of six counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in a St. George courtroom in December 2023. "Franke, Hildebrandt, and others known and unknown have been engaging in a widespread racketeering enterprise in pursuit of power and profit through the advertisement, sale, and provision of fraudulent services and products designed to prey on vulnerable individuals, and encourage victims to perpetuate illegal acts onto others," a complaint states. Utah authorities filed charges against Franke and Hildebrandt in September after police rescued two of Franke's children, who were malnourished and neglected, from Hildebrandt's home Aug. 30. The abuse included forcing her children to do physical labor, restricting food, binding one child's hands and feet and emotional harm. Franke and Hildebrandt told Franke's children they were evil and needed to be punished. Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke Asked Daughter For One Thing Before Arrest: Memoir One of Hildebrandt's neighbors reported the abuse to police after Franke's 12-year-old showed up on his doorstep asking for help. He had escaped from Hildebrandt's multimillion-dollar house, where he was staying while his mother was away. Read On The Fox News App Prior to ConneXions Classrooms, Franke ran her own parenting vlog, or video blog, on social media called 8Passengers, representing herself, her husband and their six children. When her blog became the subject of scrutiny after fans began noticing cruel behavior toward her children, she joined Hildebrandt, and the pair became business partners. Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke's Husband Says 'Some Crazy S--t' Went On In Abuse Accomplice's $5.3M Fortress Michael Tillerman is the plaintiff in the lawsuit filed in federal court against Franke and Hildebrandt last month. The complaint describes their ConneXions Classrooms business as an "organized criminal enterprise." Tillerman said his former spouse "sought Hildebrandt for routine counseling." Youtube Mommy Blogger Ruby Franke, Co-host Jodi Hildebrandt Sentenced For Child Abuse: 'Dark Delusion' In dozens of YouTube videos and social media posts, Franke and Hildebrandt coached parents in calm voices from a living room couch on how to raise their children in "truth." In a video posted just before their arrests, Hildebrandt said pain can be a good thing for children of a certain age. Franke's oldest daughter, Shari Franke, described Hildebrandt and her inner circle as a "cult" in her new memoir, "The House of My Mother." Utah Police Discover 'Panic Room' Inside Abusive Mommy Blogger Accomplice's $5.3M Desert Home Hildebrandt and Franke advertised and sold "counseling services, classes, workshops, lessons, and digital and written materials" that cost anywhere from $20 to more than $10,000. Tillerman's lawsuit alleges these products were "fraudulent." For example, a "Team Leadership Training Program" that cost nearly $5,000 included "six team sessions, group trainings, podcasts, online trainers, phone call support, and pre- and post-assessment surveys." A "Company Leadership Training" that cost triple that at $14,985 included "six team sessions, six manager sessions, six company-wide sessions, eighteen group trainings, podcasts, access to online trainings, phone call support, and pre- and post-assessment surveys." Youtube Mommy Bloggers Arrested On Allegations Of Child Abuse: 'Finally' One-on-one training with Hildebrandt cost $181 per 50-minute session. Male and female "teams" sessions cost $300 per month with a minimum $900 commitment. Click Here For More True Crime From Fox News Defendants "prey on individuals in vulnerable positions who are seeking legitimate mental health services and indoctrinate members into the Enterprise — instructing her associates to perpetuate child abuse, child torture, and psychological abuse on any individual in their lives not deemed to be in what Hildebrandt has coined 'Truth,' i.e., aligning with Hildebrandt's will," the complaint states. Tillerman alleges his spouse "masterfully implemented" Hildebrandt's and Franke's "dark teachings to physically abuse and endanger the minor child" they shared. Click To Get The Fox News App Franke and Hildebrandt did not have attorneys listed in the federal lawsuit at the time of publication. They were both sentenced to serve four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison after being found guilty of four counts each of second-degree aggravated child abuse each inflicted upon two of Franke's article source: Child-abusing mommy bloggers Ruby Franke and friend sued over alleged fraud scheme targeting parents
