South Florida commissioner convicted after lying to see lover in ICE detention center

North Bay Village Commissioner Julianna Clare Strout was convicted after lying in order to see her lover that was being held in an ICE detention center, prosecutors announced on Thursday. 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Strout, 36, pled guilty to entering the Krome Service Processing Center under false pretenses after the detention center had temporarily suspended social visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Strout, a former Miss Rhode Island winner, accessed the facility three times to see a detainee she was romantically involved with, officials said. 

Since legal visits were still permitted during that time, prompting Strout to tell ICE officials that she was a paralegal with a law firm and needed the detainee she represented to sign legal documents. 

According to the prosecutors, Strout went as far as to present officials with a letter using the law firm’s letterhead. 

“In fact, the law firm never authorized Strout to use its letterhead or visit Krome on its behalf,” the news release stated. “Strout had never worked for the law firm. Instead, she was romantically involved with the detainee.”

On one occasion, Strout was denied entry to the detention center. To get in, she showed officers her North Bay Village Commissioner badge and asked to enter the center as a public official. 

Strout has been North Bay Village commissioner since 2018. Her term expires next month. She was sentenced to one-year probation and 50 hours of community service. 

"North Bay Village is aware of the plea agreement entered into by Commissioner Strout. The Village Charter does not require action by the Village Commission or Administration on this matter, as a felony conviction is not involved," North Bay Village officials said in a statement. "The Village has not been advised that the Governor will take action on this issue. Commissioner Strout’s term as a Commissioner concludes in November."