A Utah father has accused Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt of masterminding an ‘organized criminal enterprise’ which led to further child abuse.
Michael Tilleman, 32, is suing the disgraced mommy vloggers over allegations they encouraged the abuse through their YouTube channel, ConneXions Classrooms.
Tilleman alleges his ex-wife, who he is also suing, became obsessed with the incarcerated duo and went on to physically abuse a child informed by, ‘Hildebrandt’s ‘dark teachings’, per the lawsuit.
He claims she wasted thousands of dollars on their phony counselling tips which, ‘preyed on vulnerable individuals, and encouraged victims to perpetuate illegal acts onto others’, per the complaint.
The allegations are the latest blow to Franke, 43, and Hildebrandt, 55, who were collectively sentenced to at least 30 years in jail on child abuse charges.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction barring Hildebrandt’s ‘enterprise’ from continuing to operate and requesting at least $2.25 million per claim for alleged damages caused to his family.
In the filings, Tilleman blasted the sick mommy vloggers over their, ‘fraudulent business’, which he likened to a cult.
‘ConneXions’ fraudulent services are intended to bring individuals under the Enterprise’s financial and psychological control, entice victims to spend money on fraudulently advertised services which perpetuate and promote child abuse and other illegal acts, encourage psychological abuse, and ultimately break families, all while financially enriching the Defendants,’ the lawsuit reads.
A Utah father issued a blistering lawsuit against disgraced ‘mommy vloggers’ Ruby Franke (left) and Jodi Hildebrant (right) claiming the pair to be operating an ‘organized criminal enterprise’
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, which Tilleman claims ‘preyed on vulnerable individuals, and encouraged victims to perpetuate illegal acts onto others’
Michael Tilleman, 32, is suing the disturbed mothers claiming his ex-wife became obsessed with the incarcerated women and blew thousands of dollars on their phony counseling sessions
Footage shows the moment the 12-year-old boy manages to escape Franke’s house and goes to his neighbors house for help
Images released highlight the extent of the abuse on the children with the emaciated victim displaying infected cuts on his legs as well as duct tape around his arms and feet
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’, according to the lawsuit.
This included a ‘Team Leadership Training Program’ that cost nearly $5,000 comprised of, ‘six team sessions, group trainings, podcasts, online trainers, phone call support, and pre- and post-assessment surveys,’ FoxNews.com reported.
He also claimed his ex-wife ‘staunchly refused’ to stop using the ‘warped teachings.’
He said Hildebrandt’s concept of ‘Truth’ refers her teachings, the opposition of which is referred to as ‘distortion.’
‘As commonly implemented in cults which aim for thought control, mind control, and brainwashing, the Enterprise developed unique vernacular that is not understandable to outsiders,’ the lawsuit reads.
He also said anyone who disagreed with Hildebrandt or her methods was ‘ripe for punishment, including torture.’
‘The Enterprise’s primary purposes … are to control individuals, punish those who refuse the Enterprise, promote and perpetuate child abuse and child torture, inflict pain and abuse on ‘distorted’ individuals, and destroy individuals and families – all to fraudulently derive millions of dollars globally while doing so,’ the suit adds.
Defendants named in the suit include ConneXions Classroom LLC, Michal Washburn and DOES I-X individuals, as well as the two deranged mothers.
Kevin Franke (left), 46, said that he is not connected to the lawsuit filed by Tilleman, but is focused on pursuing justice for himself and his children through their own litigation
The allegations are similar to those set out by Franke’s husband, Kevin Franke, who previously filed a separate lawsuit. He has said that he is not connected to Tilleman’s, but is focused on pursuing justice for himself and his children through their own litigation, ABC4.com reported.
Franke and Hildebrandt first caught the attention of authorities when police rescued two of Franke’s severely malnourished and neglected children from Hildebrandt’s home.
Investigators later learned that the children were forced to do manual labor, had food kept from them, and had their hands and feet bound.
The kids were told they were evil and had to be punished, according to authorities.
‘For over three months, the two children, ages 9 and 11-12, were held by their mother and her business partner in a concentration-camp setting,’ Chief Deputy Washington County Attorney Ryan Shaum said in a written statement.
‘They were regularly denied food, water, beds to sleep in, and virtually all forms of entertainment. They were also prohibited from interacting with others and were hidden in the home when people came to visit.
‘They were beaten, and the 12-year-old was bound hand and foot after he attempted to run away,’ he added.
The initial arrests occurred in August of 2023 after Franke’s 12-year-old child crawled out of a window in Hildebrandt’s home, malnourished and with tape on his ankles.
Franke (left) admitted to tourturing her son from May 22 through August 30 by forcing him into hours of physical tasks, summer work outdoors without adequate water and ‘repeated and serious sunburns’ that blistered
Both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony. They were both sentenced to serve four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison
He made it to a neighbor’s house, where the Good Samaritan proceeded to call 911.
The child accused ‘Jodi’ of tying him up and using cayenne pepper as well as using honey to treat the wounds caused by the tape.
He was rushed to a local hospital. Not long after, his 10-year-old sister was found in the same home, also malnourished.
Four of Franke’s minor children were immediately placed in protective custody.
Several months later, in December 2023, a Utah judge, John J. Walton, accepted Franke’s shocking plea agreement.
In the agreement, Franke admitted to torturing her son from May 22 through August 30 by forcing him into hours of physical tasks, summer work outdoors without adequate water and ‘repeated and serious sunburns’ that blistered.
Franke also admitted to kicking her son while wearing boots, holding his head under water and smothering his mouth and nose with her hands, according to the plea agreement.
She also acknowledged similarly abusing her nine-year-old daughter by forcing her to work outside, run on dirt roads barefoot, and go without food and water.
‘She was also repeatedly told she was evil and possessed, the punishments were necessary for her to be obedient and repent, and these things were being done to her in order to help her,’ the plea agreement said.
They are currently serving four consecutive terms between a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of 60 years in prison.
