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Jodi Hildebrandt
Hildebrandt's Booking Photo (2023)
Born
Jodi Nan Hildebrandt

1969 (age 55–56)
Lehi, Utah, United States
StatusIncarcerated
Alma materBrigham Young University (BA)
University of Utah (MA)
Occupation(s)former counselor, parenting coach, and YouTuber
Years active2005–2024
Spouse
Brenten C. Pugh
​
​
(m. 1999; div. 2012)​
[3]
Children2
ConvictionAggravated child abuse (4 counts)
Criminal penalty4 to 60 years (30 year maximum under Utah statute).[a]
AccompliceRuby Franke
Details
Victims2
Date apprehended
August 30, 2023
Imprisoned atUtah State Correctional Facility

Jodi Nan Hildebrandt is an American convicted child abuser, former counselor, retired businesswoman, and YouTuber. On August 30, 2023, Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke were arrested in Washington County, Utah, and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse of two of Franke's children. Hildebrandt ultimately pleaded guilty to four counts, and was sentenced to serve between four and thirty[a] years in prison on February 20, 2024.[1]

Early life

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Jodi Hildebrandt was born to Jay and Florence Hildebrandt in 1969. She attended Canyon Del Oro High School.[4]

Hildebrandt was raised by devout followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and her father was a pilot with the US Air Force.[5]

She participated in the Miss Orem pageant in 1990.[4]

In 1996, Hildebrandt graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts in English language & literature.[6] In 2003, Hildebrandt graduated from the University of Utah with a Master of Arts in Educational psychology. Her masters thesis was titled "Experiences of Latter-day Saints women and how their culture influences their manifestations of sexuality"[7].

Counseling career

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Hildebrandt was a Utah licensed counselor, starting in 2005.[8][9] In 2007, she founded the relationship and business counseling business Connexions (styled ConneXions) in Orem, Utah.[10] In 2012, she was the director of LifeStar Utah County, a franchisee of a national company based in Utah that specializes in the psychiatric and psychological treatment of pornography and sex addiction.[11]

In 2012, Hildebrandt's license was put on probation for 18 months after she "disclosed sensitive confidential information" of a former client to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Brigham Young University between 2008 and 2010, according to Utah Department of Commerce's Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing documents.[8][9] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that Hildebrandt was no longer on their Family Services' referral list due to the case.[11]

Hildebrandt was a business partner of family YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke.[8] They launched a YouTube channel called ConneXions together in 2022,[12] and created a joint Instagram account called Moms of Truth,[12] offering parenting classes.[13]

On August 30, 2023, Hildebrandt was arrested in Washington County, Utah, and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse. She surrendered her license as a counselor pending resolution of the court case and a disciplinary investigation.[14][15] After the arrest of Hildebrandt and Franke, YouTube banned both from the platform.[16] After pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse,[17] she was sentenced in 2024 to four consecutive terms of one to 15 years, the maximum for each count under Utah law.[18] Prison sentences in Utah are indeterminate, with a minimum and maximum time frame. The offender must serve the whole sentence unless the Board of Pardons releases them sooner. However, under Utah law, consecutive sentences cannot run beyond 30 years unless the offender has a maximum term of life. [1][2]

As a result of Hildebrandt's criminal convictions, Utah Department of Commerce's Division of Professional Licensing revoked her clinical mental health counseling license on May 10, 2024.[19][20]

Hildebrandt has been imprisoned at Utah State Correctional Facility's Dell Facility since the day she was sentenced, along with Ruby Franke.[21][22]

Hildebrandt was later sued by Kevin Franke for emotional distress and negligence.[23]

Adaptation

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Jodi Hildebrandt was portrayed by Heather Locklear in the Lifetime film Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story.[24]

Her case was also featured in the true crime television series The Curious Case Of..., which explores high-profile criminal cases and controversial figures. The episode examines Hildebrandt’s career as a self-help counselor, the allegations of abuse, and the legal proceedings that followed.[25]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Each of the four counts Hildebrandt was convicted on carried a term of 1 to 15 years' imprisonment, which were ordered to be served consecutively. The minimum amount of time Hildebrandt must serve is therefore 4 years, and, absent any superseding legislation, the maximum amount of time would be 60 years; however, the Utah Code dictates that the time served by a defendant upon whom consecutive sentences (except those of life imprisonment or the death penalty) are imposed must not exceed 30 years.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke sentenced to 4 consecutive terms in prison". Deseret News. February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Utah Code Section 76-3-401". le.utah.gov. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Does Jodi Hildebrandt have kids? All about her ex husband and family life amid ongoing trial". msn.com. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Miss Orem Hopefuls Prepare for Pageant". Utah Digital Newspapers.
  5. ^ "Jay Dustin Hildebrandt, 1932-2016". Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Brigham Young University (1996). Commencement exercise programs, 1996-. Harold B. Lee Library. p. 86.
  7. ^ Hildebrandt, Jodi Nan. Experiences of LDS Women and How Their Culture Influences Their Manifestations of Sexuality. 2003.
  8. ^ a b c Cohen, Rebecca. "A former client of Jodi Hildebrandt says his family and life were 'destroyed' after she spilled details of his sessions to the Mormon Church". Business Insider.
  9. ^ a b https://web.archive.org/web/20210118185629/https://dopl.utah.gov/orders/2012-32_SO_2012-01-27.pdf
  10. ^ Turner, Jared (September 8, 2023). "YouTuber, business partner charged with child abuse suffer apparent 'medical issues' in jail". KUTV.
  11. ^ a b May, Heather. "Porn therapist disciplined for telling church, BYU about man". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  12. ^ a b Bubalo, Mattea (September 9, 2023). "Ruby Franke and 8 passengers: The rise and fall of a parenting influencer". BBC News. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  13. ^ Ables, Kelsey; Bellware, Kim (September 1, 2023). "What to know about Ruby Franke, parenting YouTuber charged with child abuse". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  14. ^ "YouTube mom Ruby Franke to plead guilty in child abuse case, attorney says". ABC News.
  15. ^ "Jodi Hildebrandt agrees to give up counseling license amid child abuse charges". Deseret News. January 31, 2024.
  16. ^ Wood, Tom (September 14, 2023). "YouTube removes all Ruby Franke content and threatens to ban anyone who re-uploads any". Unilad. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  17. ^ "Jodi Hildebrandt: YouTuber Ruby Franke's business partner pleads guilty". BBC News. December 28, 2023.
  18. ^ "Ruby Franke: Parenting advice YouTuber given maximum sentence for child abuse". BBC News. February 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "Findings of Fact" (PDF). State of Utah Department of Commerce, Division of Professional Licensing. May 10, 2024. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 5, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  20. ^ "DOPL - Actions". db.dopl.utah.gov. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  21. ^ "How Jodi Hildebrandt Enabled Ruby Franke's Child Abuse". Biography. February 27, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  22. ^ KSLNewsRadio, JESSICA LOWELL (February 28, 2024). "Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt transferred to State Correctional Facility". KSL NewsRadio. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  23. ^ El-Bawab, Nadine (April 12, 2024). "Ruby Franke's husband sues her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt over child abuse". ABC News. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  24. ^ Picotti, Tyler (October 3, 2024). "The Story of Ruby Franke's Chilling Spiral from Popular "Momfluencer" to Convicted Felon". Biography. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  25. ^ Clarendon, Dan (January 13, 2025). "'The Curious Case Of…': What We Know About All 6 Cases in the New ID Docuseries". TV Insider. Archived from the original on February 11, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
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