An American grandmother, Angela Lips, 50, was wrongly arrested and jailed for 6 months after being mistakenly identified by face recognition technology as a suspect in a bank fraud investigation in North Dakota. Lips, a Tennessee resident, was arrested at gunpoint while caring for four young children. She was held in a Tennessee county jail for 108 days before being transferred to North Dakota.
The investigation began in July 2025, after reports of bank fraud in April and May of the same year. Investigators reviewed video footage showing a woman using a fake military ID to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars. Using face recognition software, they identified Lips as a possible suspect. However, Lips had never visited North Dakota and had a solid alibi, with bank records confirming her presence in Tennessee at the time of the alleged crimes.
Lips was charged with 8 felony counts, with the most serious carrying a 10-year prison sentence. Despite her protests of innocence, she was detained for 108 days before her lawyer presented bank records that proved her alibi. She was finally released but left the jail with only 4 cents and no winter coat. Lips had lost her home, car, and dog due to unpaid bills while in jail.
Lips has filed a lawsuit against the city of Fargo and the investigator, Lucas Hick, who led the arrest. The lawsuit claims that Hick proceeded with charges despite knowing that Lips lived in Tennessee, had never visited North Dakota, and did not match the physical description of the suspect. The lawsuit also alleges that Hick failed to disclose that the face recognition results were based on a fake ID photo, not surveillance footage.
The lawsuit claims that the Fargo Police Department lacked policies, training, and oversight on using face recognition technology at the time of Lips' arrest. The department allegedly did not consider the results as sufficient evidence to support charges. Lips is seeking $10 million in damages, as well as punitive damages against Hick and attorney's fees.
This is not an isolated incident of face recognition technology leading to mistaken identity. In 2020, Robert Williams was arrested after a face recognition system incorrectly identified him as a suspect in a jewelry store robbery. Williams was later cleared, and the city of Detroit agreed to pay him $300,000 in compensation. The city also stopped making arrests based solely on face recognition results.
The use of face recognition technology has raised concerns about accuracy and potential misuse. In another incident, a high school student was surrounded by police after a camera mistakenly identified a bag of chips as a firearm. Lips' case highlights the need for more robust policies and training on using this technology to prevent similar errors in the future.
Key points
- A US grandmother was wrongly jailed for 6 months due to a face recognition technology error.
- The technology incorrectly identified her as a suspect in a bank fraud investigation.
- The incident highlights concerns about the accuracy and potential misuse of face recognition technology.
