Angela Lipps was arrested by U.S. Marshals at her home in Tennessee on 14/7/2025. She was considered a fugitive from North Dakota and detained at the county jail.

"I have never been to North Dakota, nor do I know anyone from North Dakota", Angela said, adding that she remains haunted by the arrest.

According to Angela, after her detention, she learned she faced multiple charges, including: unauthorized use of personal identification information and theft in North Dakota.

Court documents related to the case show that police in Fargo, North Dakota, were investigating a series of bank frauds that occurred from 4/2025 to 5/2025. The incidents involved a female suspect who used a fake military identification card to withdraw thousands of USD.

Police used facial recognition software on surveillance videos of the suspect to identify the woman, and Angela was identified by the artificial intelligence (AI) software.

A detective in Fargo reviewed Angela's social media accounts and driver's license, then determined that she appeared to be the suspect in the case based on facial features, build, and hairstyle.

Angela Lipps. Photo: GFM

Angela was detained in a county jail in Tennessee for nearly four months without bail and unable to defend herself until she was extradited to North Dakota. In Tennessee, she was assigned a lawyer to assist with the extradition process. After arriving in North Dakota on 30/10/2025, Angela hired a lawyer and was first questioned by police on 19/12/2025.

Her lawyer requested Angela's bank records to prove she was in Tennessee at the time the fraudulent acts occurred in North Dakota, two locations over 1,900 km apart. "At the same time she was depositing her Social Security benefits into her account... she was buying cigarettes at a gas station, buying pizza, using payment apps to buy food on Uber Eats", the lawyer stated.

According to her lawyer, the investigation and Angela's arrest were based entirely on facial recognition. The Fargo Police Department did not contact Angela until her lawyer provided them with her bank records and arranged an interrogation.

Five days after being questioned by Fargo police, Angela's charges were dropped, and she was released from jail in North Dakota. However, she said the police did not provide any financial assistance to help her return home, forcing her to rely on her defense lawyer's money to pay for a hotel, food, and transportation back to Tennessee.

"I'm just glad it's over. I'll never go back to North Dakota", Angela shared about her difficult experience.

In a statement, Fargo Police Department Chief Dave Zibolski said: "The issuance of an arrest warrant for Angela Lipps indicated the court had determined there was probable cause to charge her. The charges were later dismissed but could be refiled if further investigation deems it necessary."

According to Fargo police, the bank fraud case is still under investigation, and no arrests have been made.

Angela stated that no one from the Fargo Police Department apologized for the incident. Unable to pay her bills while incarcerated, she lost her home, car, and pet dog.

Tue Anh (according to People, WDAY News)