MOORHEAD, MINN – Attorneys for a Tennessee woman jailed related to an ongoing investigation regarding bank fraud say Fargo Police’s press conference is correlating with what they have seen in the early stages of their investigation.
Dane DeKrey, a Moorhead attorney with the firm Ringstrom DeKrey, and Eric Rice, a Twin Cities attorney, say the information Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski released Tuesday ‘confirms what we have seen in our own investigation.’
“It appears that the Fargo Police Department did not undertake basic investigative efforts before causing a warrant and charges to issue for Angela Lipps,” the attorneys released through a statement to media. “Officers knew that Angela was a Tennessee resident, and we have seen no investigation by officers to determine whether she traveled to or was in North Dakota at the time of the bank thefts.”
Zibolski announced Tuesday that changes to policy and procedures regarding use of artificial intelligence have already begun, after it was discovered that West Fargo Police made identification of Lipps through their artificial intelligence system – but had not sent surveillance photos.
Zibolski’s new directive only allows submission to state or federal entities, including intelligence centers, to perform searches using AI. This means they will no longer use West Fargo’s system.
“We appreciate that the department appears to be making efforts to correct these issues in the future,” DeKrey and Rice said. “But this recognition and correction would never have happened if Angela had not stepped forward.”
The attorneys said their investigation is ongoing ‘to ensure that all wrongdoing is examined and accounted for.’
“We will continue our efforts until Angela is fully cleared of suspicion and actions that led to her being charged are corrected,” they said.
