A US court has sentenced millionaire blogger Ruby Franke to 60 years in prison for telling her children how to raise them on YouTube. The judge found her guilty of aggravated child abuse. This was reported by a number of American media, according to UNN.
Details
According to The Guardian, Ruby Franke, a mother of six who gave online parenting advice through a popular YouTube channel, was sentenced on Tuesday to four prison terms of one to 15 years each. She was charged with aggravated child abuse.
It is noted that Franke and her business partner Jodi Nan Hildebrandt are also involved in the case.
Hildebrandt, who collaborated on a video with parenting and relationship advice, pleaded guilty to aggravated second-degree child abuse back in December. On Tuesday, February 20, she was sentenced to the same prison terms as Franke.
During the sentencing, Franke's mother, a blogger, apologized to her children and told the court that she had been misled.
For the past four years, I chose to follow advice and guidance that led me into a dark delusion. My distorted version of reality had little control as I isolated myself from anyone who challenged me.
Franke Hildebrandt, the blogger's business partner, who pleaded guilty, said she wanted the children to "heal physically and emotionally" and have a great future.
One of the reasons why I didn't go to court earlier is that I didn't want them to go through an experience that would be emotionally damaging for them. I hope and pray that they will heal and move forward to have a wonderful life.
At the same time, Franke's lawyers claim that Hildebrandt "systematically isolated" her from her family and caused their client to have a "distorted sense of morality." After her husband Kevin filed for divorce in December, Franke's lawyers said their client Ruby was "devastated" but that she understood his reasoning and respected his decision.
Context
The YouTube channel of 42-year-old American Ruby Franke, 8 Passengers, had 2.3 million subscribers before it was deactivated earlier this year.
Last August, she was arrested in Ivins, southern Utah, after her malnourished 12-year-old son ran away from home. The boy turned to neighbors for help, asking for food and water. During the examination of the child, traces of beatings and duct tape were found on his limbs.
Later, one of Franke's daughters was found in the same condition, with signs of malnutrition.
Franke was arrested, and her eldest daughter, Shari Franke, 20, shared a deleted image of the police on Instagram with the caption: "Finally.
The journalists also reminded that Franke's strict parenting style had already led to a police complaint. Her subscribers called child protection services to Franke's family in 2015, when their son Chad, then 15 years old, said that he had slept in a beanbag for seven months as a punishment for his parents.
In addition, Franke was reported to the child protection service when she and her husband Kevin told their two younger children that they would not receive gifts from Santa Claus because they were selfish and did not respond to their parents' comments. The children were not allowed out of the house to go to school and were forced to wash the floors.
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Journalists noted that this case drew public attention to what is called "sharpening," or when parents broadcast and advertise their parenting skills, aiming to make money from such an enterprise. Critics of parenting blogging have warned of the dangers of invading a child's privacy and violating ethics.
The publication added that in August last year, Illinois passed a law that protects the income of child performers whose lives are shared on social media for profit.