Ruby Franke appears in court for her sentencing hearing on Feb. 20, 2024 (Law&Crime screenshot)

Former vlogging star Ruby Franke may serve up to three decades behind bars after admitting to brutalizing the children who once shared a screen with her on their hit YouTube channel “8 Passengers.” Franke appeared in a Washington County, Utah, state court on Tuesday where a judge ordered her to serve a sentence of four to 30 years for abusing her children.

Franke’s former business partner and co-defendant in the case, Jodi Hildebrandt, was handed the same sentence immediately following Franke’s hearing.

Both women in December pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree felony child abuse. Prior to entering into their plea agreements, the women had each been facing six felony child abuse charges.

Specifically, Franke was sentenced to one to 15 years on each count of child abuse, with the sentences to be served consecutively, meaning one after the other. While her plea agreement did not specify a specific prison duration, the document did state that Franke would serve time in detention for each of the aforementioned charges and that the sentences would be consecutive. While the sentence is capped at a maximum of 30 years, the state board of pardons and parole will ultimately determine the sentence length at a later date, Law&Crime’s Cathy Russon reported.

Prior to being formally sentenced, Franke addressed the court and apologized for the conduct that caused her to become a convicted felon.