A 50-year-old Tennessee grandmother spent more than five months behind bars after artificial intelligence facial recognition technology wrongly linked her to bank fraud crimes committed in North Dakota, a state she says she had never visited before her forced extradition.

How the Wrongful Arrest Happened

Angela Lipps was arrested on July 14, 2025, in Tennessee after Fargo, North Dakota police obtained a nationwide warrant for her arrest. The warrant stemmed from bank fraud cases investigated with help from West Fargo Police Department’s facial recognition system powered by Clearview AI, a technology company that maintains a database of billions of photographs scraped from social media and internet sources. Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski acknowledged that his department was unaware their partner agency had purchased the AI system independently, and stated it would not have been permitted if known.

Lipps remained in Tennessee custody for over three months before authorities completed her extradition to North Dakota in October. She faced multiple charges including felony theft and felony unauthorized use of personal identifying information. The extended jail time raised questions about communication between Tennessee and North Dakota law enforcement, though Fargo police suggested the delay may have involved a probation violation or extradition disputes. Lipps described her first airplane ride during extradition as terrifying and humiliating.

Case Dismissed After Alibi Confirmed

Once in Fargo, Lipps received legal representation that quickly produced bank records proving she was in Tennessee during the times when the North Dakota crimes occurred. West Fargo Police confirmed in their statement that Clearview AI had identified someone with similar features to Lipps, but they never forwarded charges or gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute anyone in their jurisdiction. Chief Zibolski admitted to several errors in the case and announced operational changes, though he stopped short of issuing a direct apology to Lipps.

Growing Concerns Over AI Technology

This case highlights mounting concerns about law enforcement’s rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools without proper oversight or verification procedures. Police departments nationwide have integrated facial recognition systems despite documented cases of misidentification, raising constitutional questions about due process and the reliability of AI-generated evidence. The prohibition of West Fargo’s Clearview AI system by Fargo police leadership demonstrates recognition that some technologies require stricter evaluation before deployment in criminal investigations affecting American citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms.