Alleged child abuser Ruby Franke received over $80,000 in PPP loans during COVID-19 lockdowns

Disgraced YouTuber and family blogger Ruby Franke, who was recently arrested for alleged child abuse, received more than $80,000 in Payroll Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Deseret News reported that records from ProPublica's PPP database revealed that 8 Passengers LLC., Franke's company, received $41,810 on two separate occasions during the pandemic. The first payment was approved in April 2020, and the second was approved in January 2021. Both of the loans were forgiven in May 2021 and August 2021 respectively.

As a result, her company received a total of $83,620 from the government's loan program. The database indicated that 8 Passengers had just two employees and was listed in "other motion picture and video industries." Cache Valley Bank was the lender of the loans, which apparently covered payroll.

The company was registered under Franke's name in 2016, but in August 2022, its license in Utah expired and it was never renewed. This occurred just one year after the PPP loan was forgiven, according to the report.

PPP loans could be forgiven if the company in question met certain criteria, such as retaining employees throughout the pandemic.

Franke was arrested, along with her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, on August 30 after the authorities claim Franke's 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt's home and ran to a neighbor's house. The child was found to be malnourished, with open wounds, and had duct tape on his extremities. The neighbor speculated that it appeared as if the child had been detained in some way.

The authorities searched the home, finding one of the boy's siblings. Franke and Hildebrandt were subsequently arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse. If they are found guilty of the crimes, they could face up to 15 years in prison.

During a court appearance earlier this month, Franke attempted to turn the tables on her own children, claiming that one of her minor children had sexually abused a sibling and other minors in the neighborhood, over a peariod of years.

Franke said that one of the children admitted in May to sexually abusing 20 people, including cousins and neighbors. However, she did not provide any evidence for the claims.

The judge responded by saying that her alleged abusive child "will then need to be placed in a home with no other children."

An attorney who was in the courtroom reportedly asked to hear more details about the molestation of another child, as the mother of the alleged victim was present at the hearing. But the judge ultimately declined the request, noting that details about the alleged assault could be heard at a future date.

Utah family YouTuber Ruby Franke arrested on child abuse chargeswww.youtube.com

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