A Romanian immigrant, previously released early from prison for sexually abusing a middle-school boy, is now sought by ICE after being re-incarcerated for allegedly violating her probation.
Rebecca Fratila-Ilies is facing deportation after her conviction on two counts of carnal knowledge of a child and statutory rape, following her December 2022 arrest in Virginia, according to ICE.
She was released early from a Staunton prison where she was serving a decade-long sentence and relocated to North Carolina. There, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office took her back into custody for an alleged probation violation on March 25, 2025.
“Fratila-Ilies is a lawful permanent resident, but she’s been convicted of sex crimes against a child, which means she’s amenable to removal,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement.
“She’s currently in removal proceedings and ICE is standing by to deport her upon a Department of Justice immigration judge’s order.”
The timing of her release from prison and details of her alleged probation violation remain unclear.
After her latest legal issue, the sheriff’s office notified ICE, which placed an immigration detainer on April 17, urging authorities not to release the child predator as the case progresses.
The convicted sex offender came to the US as a child and received a green card in 2006, federal officials stated. However, it was later discovered that her mother had filed a fraudulent asylum claim, which invalidated her permanent resident status.
An immigration judge ordered Fratila-Ilies deported in absentia in 2017, but she appealed the decision and successfully obtained relief from removal in 2022, before her conviction.
Lyons stated that her serious sex crimes now make her eligible for deportation.
Fratila-Ilies remains in police custody pending the resolution of her probation violation case.
