Grandmother Arrested for Bank Thefts Is Suing for $10M

A Tennessee grandmother alleges a faulty AI match cost her six months of her life, and she wants $10 million for it. Angela Lipps, 50, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Fargo, ND, and one of its detectives of leaning on facial-recognition software to tie her to a string of bank thefts in 2025, despite her never having been to the state. The technology allegedly flagged a photo of Lipps on social media as a possible match with the fake ID image used by the real suspect; the complaint says Lipps and the woman captured on surveillance footage have clearly different builds and tattoos, reports ABC News. The suit alleges the detective relied solely on that faulty match and did not establish sufficient probable cause prior to seeking an arrest warrant.

Per the suit, Lipps was arrested at gunpoint while babysitting a neighbor's kids, jailed in Tennessee, then extradited to North Dakota, where she remained until bank records verified she was not in the state at the time of the thefts. The charges were dropped and she was released on Christmas Eve. Valley News Live reports the suit alleges she was released into 10-degree temps with four cents and no winter coat, and had to rely on a local nonprofit and a neighbor to get back to Tennessee. Lipps says she lost her home, car, and sense of safety; Fargo officials say they won't comment on pending litigation.