Fargo Nonprofit Helps Tennessee Woman After Wrongful Arrest

F5 Project CEO details efforts to reunite Angela Lipps with her boyfriend following her release from jail

Mar. 13, 2026 at 11:36pm

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A Fargo-based nonprofit organization, the F5 Project, helped Angela Lipps, a 50-year-old Tennessee woman who was wrongfully arrested in a bank fraud investigation in Fargo and spent nearly six months in jail. After the case was dismissed and Lipps was released, the F5 Project CEO Adam Martin assisted her in getting a phone, clothing, and transportation to reunite with her boyfriend in Chicago.

Why it matters

This case highlights the challenges faced by individuals who are wrongfully arrested and incarcerated, even when charges are eventually dropped. The American Civil Liberties Union has identified this as the 12th known case in the U.S. of someone being wrongfully arrested due to errors in facial recognition technology used by police.

The details

Lipps was arrested in July 2025 after Fargo police used facial recognition software to identify her as a suspect in a bank fraud investigation. However, the ACLU says mistakes like this are not uncommon with this technology. After nearly six months in jail, the case against Lipps was dismissed, but she was released without any identification, winter clothing, or a phone. The F5 Project, a Fargo-based nonprofit that assists people released from jail and prison, stepped in to help Lipps get the essentials she needed and arrange transportation to reunite her with her boyfriend in Chicago.

  • Lipps was arrested in July 2025 after Fargo police used facial recognition software.
  • Lipps spent nearly six months in jail before the case against her was dismissed.

The players

Angela Lipps

A 50-year-old Tennessee woman who was wrongfully arrested in a bank fraud investigation in Fargo and spent nearly six months in jail.

Adam Martin

The CEO of the F5 Project, a Fargo-based nonprofit organization that assisted Lipps after her release from jail.

Nate Freed Wessler

The Deputy Director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, who commented on the prevalence of wrongful arrests due to errors in facial recognition technology.

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What they’re saying

“So, we got her a phone so that she could make accommodations. We got her food, we got her clothing, jacket, put her in a hotel for a couple days. And then she was able to get a hold of her boyfriend and meet us in Chicago, and so I gave her a ride to Chicago to meet up with her boyfriend, and she got back to Tennessee.”

— Adam Martin, CEO of F5 Project

“This is the twelfth or so case we know in the United States now of somebody wrongfully arrested because police relied on incorrect facial recognition from technology. Now the length of time she was in jail as a result of this is on the very higher end.”

— Nate Freed Wessler, Deputy Director of ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project

“We think it shouldn't be used at all in policing, but if it is at bare minimum police need to have firm rules in place to ensure that it's only the barest lead at the start of investigation and there are real independent steps that follow it, to make sure that mistakes with that technology don't affect the rest of the investigation and rely on this kind of terrible injustice for a person.”

— Nate Freed Wessler, Deputy Director of ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project

What’s next

Lipps is working to find an attorney with the help of Adam Martin. She is hoping to receive an apology and compensation for her time spent in jail in both Tennessee and Fargo.

The takeaway

This case highlights the need for stronger policies and oversight around the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement, as well as the importance of support services for individuals who are wrongfully arrested and incarcerated, even when charges are eventually dropped.