A former division chief in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has gone from overseeing prosecutions to standing in front of a judge herself after pleading guilty to stealing a diamond bracelet from a misdelivered package and selling it online.
On April 1, 2026, the defendant was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, following an investigation by US Postal Service inspectors and local prosecutors. According to court records, the package was in her possession when the jewelry was advertised for sale.
Court records show that on May 31, 2025, a US Postal Service carrier accidentally sent a parcel containing approximately $40,000 in jewelry to former division chief Vanessa Hickman’s (also known as Vanessa Dailey) Phoenix condominium.
Prosecutors claim that when the package was discovered, a $2,400 diamond bracelet was missing. According to filings in Maricopa County Superior Court, Hickman advertised an identical bracelet on Poshmark and negotiated a sale price of $750 while the misdelivered item was still under her hands.
Hickman pled guilty on Feb. 25 to one count of theft and one count of facilitating the trafficking of stolen property, according to court records.
She was the state government division chief at the Attorney General’s Office and was placed on administrative leave before quitting due to the inquiry. According to the same records, the plea followed an arrest in November and the execution of a search warrant at her Valley home.
According to the plea deal, each of the two crimes carries a projected one-year jail term, although judges can alternatively impose suspended sentences, probation, and restitution. According to the Arizona Republic, Hickman will be obliged to make restitution to the victim in the amount of at least the $750 sale.
On Wednesday, the judge handed down his sentence in Maricopa County Superior Court.
A felony conviction is grounds for professional discipline in Arizona, and the state Supreme Court’s rules permit bar counsel to seek suspension or disbarment following criminal convictions. The court’s opinions describe how discipline can be imposed following a criminal conviction; for rules and precedent, see Arizona Supreme Court documents.
Hickman is also facing a separate legal complaint from the city of Peoria, which claims she earned over $139,000 in severance compensation when she departed in 2023, according to KJZZ.
The case is a high-profile setback for a lawyer who formerly helped head the office that prosecutes state-level cases, and it has refocused attention on how public-sector attorneys are vetted and held accountable. According to AZFamily, court documents and sentencing orders will determine whether Hickman’s conviction remains a felony on her record or is eligible for reduction to a misdemeanor after probation.
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