Grandmother Jailed For 6 Months After Ai Error Linked Her To A Crime In A State She Had Never Even Visited, Lawyers Say

A Tennessee grandma spent astir six months down bars aft artificial intelligence facial nickname package wrongly identified her arsenic a fishy successful a slope fraud lawsuit – successful North Dakota – a authorities she says she had ne'er moreover visited.

Angela Lipps, 50, was arrested astatine her location past summertime and extradited much than 1,200 miles to Fargo to look criminal charges tied to what constabulary described arsenic an organized fraud scheme.

“It was truthful scary, I tin still spot it successful my head, complete and complete again,” Lipps told WDAY News.

Authorities later dismissed nan lawsuit aft slope records showed she was successful Tennessee astatine nan clip nan crimes were allegedly committed.

But by then, she had spent astir six months successful jailhouse and because she was incapable to salary bills while down bars, she mislaid her home, her car and her dog.

Lipps, a grandma of five, said nan full ordeal upended her life.

She was babysitting 4 children connected July 14 erstwhile a squad of U.S. Marshals arrested her astatine gunpoint. She was booked into her section region jailhouse arsenic a fugitive from justness successful North Dakota.

But Lipps says she had ne'er been to North Dakota, aliases moreover connected an airplane. Her recreation was constricted to neighboring states wrong driving distance.

“I’ve ne'er been to North Dakota, I don’t cognize anyone from North Dakota,” Lipps said.

Lipps remained successful a Tennessee jailhouse for astir 4 months while extradition proceedings played out. Because she was classified arsenic a fugitive, she was held without bail.

During that time, she learned North Dakota authorities had charged her pinch 4 counts of unauthorized usage of individual identifying accusation and 4 counts of theft. To situation nan charges, she would person to recreation to North Dakota.

According to documents obtained by WDAY News, nan investigation began successful April and May 2025 arsenic detectives were investigating aggregate slope fraud incidents. Surveillance footage showed a female utilizing a clone U.S. Army subject ID to retreat tens of thousands of dollars from slope accounts.

To place nan suspect, Fargo constabulary ran nan surveillance images done facial nickname software. The strategy returned a match: Angela Lipps. Court documents show nan detective moving nan lawsuit past reviewed Lipps’ societal media accounts and Tennessee driver’s licence photo.

The detective wrote successful nan documents that Lipps appeared to lucifer nan fishy based connected facial features, assemblage type, hairstyle and hairsbreadth color. Lipps told WDAY that investigators successful Fargo ne'er contacted her earlier seeking charges.

Lipps was picked up from nan Tennessee jailhouse connected October 30, 108 days aft her arrest. The adjacent day, she appeared successful a North Dakota courtroom for nan first time.

Her appointed attorney, Jay Greenwood, obtained Lipps’ financial records, which showed, he said, that she was much than 1,200 miles distant successful Tennessee during nan alleged crimes.

“Around nan aforesaid clip she’s depositing Social Security checks … she is buying cigarettes astatine a state station, astir nan aforesaid time, she is buying a pizza, she is utilizing a rate app to bargain an Uber Eats,” Greenwood said.

On December 19, Fargo constabulary interviewed her for nan first clip astatine nan Cass County Jail. Five days later, connected Christmas Eve, prosecutors dismissed nan lawsuit and Lipps was released. But it near Lipps stranded successful Fargo successful nan mediate of winter.

“I had my summertime apparel on, nary coat, it was truthful acold outside, snowfall connected nan ground, scared, I wanted out, but I didn’t cognize what I was going to do, really I was going to get home,” Lipps said.

Local defense attorneys stepped successful to help, giving Lipps money for a edifice room and nutrient for nan holidays. Adam Martin, laminitis of nan Fargo-based F5 Project, past drove Lipps to Chicago truthful she could recreation location to Tennessee.

Lipps said she still feels nan harm from nan incident and claims nary 1 from nan Fargo Police Department has apologized.

“I’m conscionable gladsome it’s over. I’ll ne'er spell backmost to North Dakota,” Lipps said.

Fargo constabulary opportunity nan slope fraud investigation remains unfastened and nary arrests person been made.

Lipps’ apprehension is nan eighth documented wrongful apprehension successful nan United States tied to facial recognition, according to IBS Times. Without further verification, critics warn, a azygous algorithmic lucifer tin person life-altering consequences.