A 66-year-old grandmother was mistakenly arrested by federal agents, and despite her pleas to prove her identity, she was detained overnight and subjected to humiliating strip searches. The disturbing pattern of government overreach and the federal law enforcement system’s refusal to take responsibility for violating American citizens’ constitutional rights are exposed by Penny McCarthy’s nightmare.
Grandmother Terrorized by Armed Federal Agents
Penny McCarthy, a law-abiding 66-year-old grandmother from Phoenix with a spotless record, found herself surrounded by six armed U.S. Marshals who burst into her home with weapons drawn. The marshals mistakenly identified McCarthy as Carole Rozak, a 70-year-old fugitive wanted for a minor parole violation dating back to 1999 – a case of government bureaucrats pursuing a 25-year-old non-violent offense with excessive force.
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Federal cops arrested Penny McCarthy at gunpoint. The 66-year-old mom-of-5 had never been in trouble with the law. But USMS misidentified, arrested, strip-searched, and jailed her.
Penny could be my mom. Or yours.@IJ demands accountability.https://t.co/3LwiGZbRFj
— Patrick Jaicomo (@pjaicomo) June 10, 2025
Body camera footage reveals the terrifying moment when agents threatened to taser the grandmother while ignoring her desperate pleas to verify her identity. “Do you want to confirm who I am?” McCarthy repeatedly asked as marshals manhandled her, but federal agents were more interested in ensuring they had the right person – a shocking display of federal law enforcement’s disregard for due process and constitutional protections.
Government’s “Glitch” Destroys Innocent Woman’s Life
The marshals’ justification for the arrest was based on flimsy evidence, including a Facebook profile picture and what they claimed was a “glitch” that falsely matched McCarthy’s digital fingerprints. Despite having different social security numbers, fingerprints, and DNA that could have immediately cleared McCarthy, federal agents chose to detain her for over 24 hours and subject her to multiple humiliating strip searches.
Penny McCarthy did nothing wrong, but she was arrested by US Marshals and spent a horrifying day in custody. It started with marshals speeding down her street, holding her at gunpoint, and shoving her in a car. They never bothered to check her ID. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Wq1TMSS2ZN
— Andrew Wimer (@andrewwimer) June 10, 2025
The traumatic experience has forced McCarthy to sell her home and flee Arizona out of fear of future harassment by federal authorities. “I am so fricking disappointed in my government, it’s not funny,” McCarthy stated after her ordeal – a sentiment shared by millions of Americans who see a federal bureaucracy growing increasingly hostile toward ordinary citizens while refusing to reform its broken practices.
Fighting Back Against Federal Overreach
The Institute for Justice, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional rights, has filed a federal lawsuit against the government on McCarthy’s behalf. The lawsuit alleges multiple violations, including false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and unconstitutional search and seizure – core rights that the Founding Fathers enshrined in our Constitution specifically to prevent government tyranny.
“The officers’ misidentifying Penny was inexcusable and violated state and federal law,” said IJ Senior Attorney Paul Avelar.
Even an Arizona federal magistrate judge questioned the legitimacy of the arrest in court, demonstrating how egregious the government’s actions were in this case. Conservative lawmakers, including Congressman Andy Biggs, have demanded an investigation into the U.S. Marshals Service, recognizing that “what happened to Mrs. McCarthy is something that really shouldn’t happen to anybody” in a nation founded on liberty and constitutional protections from government abuse.
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