Angela Lipps, 50 years old, was arrested on 14/7/2025 in Tennessee. The arrest warrant had been issued weeks earlier by the Fargo City Police Department, North Dakota, over 1,600 km from Lipps' residence, based on accusations that she was involved in a series of bank fraud cases in the area.
Fargo police stated they do not have their own AI system but received information from the neighboring West Fargo City Police Department. West Fargo police had used AI-powered facial recognition technology from Clearview AI, a company that owns a database of billions of images collected from the internet and social media. Based on a photo from a fake ID used in a fraud case, their system identified a "potential suspect" with features resembling Lipps.
After receiving information from West Fargo, Fargo police identified Lipps as a fraud suspect and forwarded the case to the prosecutor. A judge in North Dakota signed a nationwide arrest warrant for Lipps on 1/7/2025.
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Angela Lipps, 50 years old, a Tennessee resident, before her arrest in July 2025. Photo: *Cass County Sheriff's Office* |
Lipps was detained for over three months in Tennessee before being extradited to North Dakota. In Fargo, she faced multiple serious charges, including theft and unauthorized use of personal information.
The biggest flaw in the entire investigation was that Angela Lipps asserted she had never set foot in North Dakota and had an alibi. Her lawyer provided bank records showing Lipps was in Tennessee when the crimes occurred. On 12/12/2025, prosecutors admitted the emergence of "potentially exculpatory evidence" for Lipps; 20 days later, the parties agreed to dismiss the charges to continue the investigation. Lipps was released on Christmas Eve 2025.
Lipps stated that she had a "terrifying" experience during her extradition. It was her first time flying, and she was "exhausted and with her reputation damaged". She maintained that she had never been to North Dakota before.
Lipps' lawyers argued that the prolonged detention was unnecessary and could have been avoided if the initial investigation had been conducted properly. They are considering filing a civil rights lawsuit.
In a press conference last week, Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski admitted that relying on data from a partner company's AI system was "part of the problem" that led to the error. However, they did not issue an apology. The case is still "ongoing," and Fargo city officials do not rule out the possibility of re-prosecuting if new evidence emerges.
Nevertheless, Fargo police admitted they had committed several procedural errors, including not sending surveillance photos to a certified facial recognition analysis center. The agency will re-examine other cases where they previously stopped using AI facial recognition data.
Experts warn that law enforcement agencies rapidly adopting AI technology without sufficient proof of its effectiveness could lead to serious consequences. Some errors stem not only from the technology itself but also from those who use the technology.
Thanh Danh (According to CNN)
