Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
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In November, former Arizona Attorney General’s Office division chief Vanessa Hickman was arrested for allegedly stealing and reselling misdelivered mail belonging to one of her neighbors. Last week, the 49-year-old Hickman pleaded guilty as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
Hickman — now referred to as Vanessa Daily in court documents, following the finalization of her divorce from her ex-husband — accepted a plea agreement from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office on Feb. 25, documents show. She pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a class 6 undesignated felony that can be knocked down to a misdemeanor after probation, and one count of facilitation to commit trafficking in stolen property, a class 2 felony.
Hickman hasn’t been officially sentenced yet, and her sentencing hearing is set for April 1. But her plea agreement indicates she’ll receive a two-year deferred prison sentence — one year for each charge — which will keep her out of prison unless she violates her probation. Hickman is also required to pay “full restitution to all victims for all economic losses” in the case, according to court documents. That includes at least $750 to the neighbor whose package Hickman pilfered.
Hickman’s sentence isn’t guaranteed, and Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Stasy Avelar could ultimately decide to impose a different sentence.
Her lawyer, Joshua Kolsrud, declined to comment and said Hickman wouldn’t “be making any statements at this time.”
In late May, according to court documents, Hickman received a package containing more than $40,000 in jewelry that was accidentally delivered from Florida to her Phoenix apartment. Investigators with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made multiple attempts to retrieve the package, which Hickman initially denied having. In July, when she finally fessed up to having it and returned it, a $2,400 diamond bracelet sourced from Costco was missing.
Prosecutors alleged Hickman sold the stolen bracelet on her Poshmark account for $750 while the package was still in her possession. She’d initially listed it for nearly $2,000 but significantly knocked the price down within a day.
Just before her arrest In mid-November, postal inspectors informed the Arizona Attorney General’s Office of their investigation. Hickman, who had served as State Government Division Chief Counsel under Attorney General Kris Mayes, was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. She resigned four days later, two days prior to her arrest.
“This decision was not made lightly, as my time at AGO has been both professionally rewarding and personally meaningful,” she wrote in her resignation letter. “I’ve learned a great deal and will carry those experiences with me into the next chapter of my career.”
Mayes’ office declined to comment on Hickman’s guilty plea.
Hickman is also still engaged in a legal battle with the city of Peoria over $138,795 in severance pay she took home when she left her position as Peoria City Attorney to join Mayes’ office in 2023. In addition to that legal drama, Hickman’s divorce was finalized the day she was put on leave by the Attorney General’s Office. During that messy proceeding, Hickman admitted to struggling with alcohol abuse and said that she worked full-time for Mayes while attending a six-month outpatient treatment program.
