FARGO, ND — A Tennessee grandmother who says she spent nearly six months in jail after an artificial intelligence facial recognition search linked her to bank thefts in North Dakota is now suing the City of Fargo and a detective for $10 million.
Angela Robin Lipps, 50, filed the federal civil rights case Sept. 15 in U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. She says investigators relied too heavily on a facial recognition result and ignored evidence that she was in Tennessee when the crimes occurred.
The lawsuit says that mistake cost her not only her freedom, but also her home, property and time with her family. It also accuses Fargo of failing to properly train and supervise officers using facial recognition tools.
How the arrest started after a fake ID photo was run through Clearview AI
Police in Fargo and West Fargo had been investigating a series of bank incidents involving a woman accused of using stolen identities and false identification to withdraw money. During that inquiry, West Fargo police ran a photo from a fake ID through Clearview AI facial recognition software.
The search produced a social media photo of Lipps as a possible match. West Fargo then shared that information with Fargo investigators, according to the complaint.
Lipps says Detective Lucas Heck relied on the facial recognition result when seeking her arrest, even though the complaint says he did not personally run the search. Her lawsuit argues that the match was treated as if it established identity, without enough separate evidence tying her to the bank transactions.
U.S. Marshals arrested her in Tennessee while she was babysitting
U.S. Marshals arrested Lipps in July 2025 while she was babysitting her neighbor’s children in Elizabethton, Tennessee. She was then transported to North Dakota, where prosecutors charged her with four counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information and four counts of theft.
She says surveillance footage from the banks showed a woman who did not resemble her in build, facial features or tattoos. The complaint also says investigators had evidence placing her more than 1,000 miles away from the Fargo-area crimes.
Lipps’ suit claims the arrest happened even though the available facts should have raised serious doubts about whether she was the person shown in the fake-ID photo or on bank cameras.
Charges were dropped after bank records placed Lipps in Tennessee
The criminal case did not last. The charges were dismissed without prejudice in December, and Lipps was released on Christmas Eve after her defense produced bank records showing she was in Tennessee when the thefts took place.
Her lawsuit says that proof should have been enough to stop the case much earlier. Instead, she remained detained for months before the records were accepted and the prosecution ended.
The complaint frames the detention as a wrongful seizure and arrest, and says she was imprisoned without probable cause. It also brings due process, false arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution claims.
Fargo later admitted investigative errors and tightened facial recognition rules
Fargo’s then-police chief, Dave Zibolski, later said the department had made errors in the investigation. In a March press conference, he said detectives incorrectly assumed West Fargo had sent surveillance images from inside the banks for facial recognition analysis, along with the photo from the fake ID.
“As you can imagine, the photo on the fake ID that I use doesn’t necessarily mean that I am the person that’s in that fake ID,” Zibolski said.
West Fargo Police Chief Pete Nielsen disputed part of Fargo’s explanation, saying his department had submitted surveillance photos to the North Dakota State and Local Intelligence Center and that the analysis also produced Lipps as a possible identification. West Fargo did not seek charges against her, saying it lacked enough evidence to charge anyone of interest.
Zibolski also said Fargo identified “a couple of errors” and imposed new restrictions on facial recognition searches, including supervisory approval and limits on using local police department systems.
Lipps says the jail time caused lasting losses and she is seeking damages
In her complaint, Lipps says the months in custody cost her missed birthdays, Thanksgiving and most of Christmas. She also says she went without medication and her dentures while detained.
The filing alleges she lost her residence, vehicle and other belongings during the time she was jailed. It also says she continues to live with anxiety and fear after the arrest.
Lipps is asking for $10 million in damages, punitive damages against Heck and attorneys’ fees. She has also requested a jury trial.
From the Twin Cities to the border and back, Travel Your Way keeps Minnesota informed.