Arizona Attorney General’s Office official resigns, is arrested amid jewelry theft allegations

PHOENIX — An Arizona Attorney General’s Office division leader was arrested Wednesday, two days after she resigned amid an investigation into mail theft allegations.

Vanessa Hickman, 49, was taken into custody while the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) served a search warrant at her Phoenix residence, according to court records.

Hickman was booked into a Maricopa County jail on one count each of trafficking stolen property, a second-degree felony, and theft, a fifth-degree felony.

She was released on her own recognizance after a court commissioner scheduled her next hearing for Dec. 4.

In the week leading up to her arrest, Hickman was placed on leave and then resigned from her job as chief of the state government division of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

According to multiple websites that track publicly available state government payrolls, including GovSalaries, Hickman’s salary was $181,500 in 2024.

What is former Arizona Attorney General official accused of?

According to the probable cause statement for her arrest, she is accused of selling a diamond bracelet from a package that was misdelivered on May 31.

The package, which contained over $40,000 worth of jewelry, was intended for a different unit in her complex. The victim said it was mailed to her by a friend in Florida.

“A complaint was later filed with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service due to the lack of resolution and value of the items involved. The delivering USPS mail carrier stated that a total of nine in-person attempts were made to contact the occupant of (Hickman’s unit) to recover the package with no response,” the probable cause statement says.

USPIS opened an investigation on July 2 and identified Hickman as the recipient of the misdelivered package.

When inspectors contacted her by phone, she allegedly said she receives a lot of packages because she operates a home business selling items through the Poshmark resale marketplace.

After inspectors asked her to look for the missing package, she located it and gave it to the neighbor who was supposed to get it.

The victim contacted postal inspectors shortly after, saying the package showed signs of being opened and was missing a Costco-sourced diamond bracelet with an estimated $2,400 retail value.

Evidence indicates bracelet was sold on Poshmark at steep discount

Investigators discovered that during the time Hickman had the package, the same type of bracelet was sold through her Poshmark account.

“This was the only item of that high value sold on her account during the timeframe of interest,” the probable cause statement says.

Poshmark records obtained by postal inspectors showed that the item was listed for $1,947 and sold to a buyer who negotiated the price down to $750 in one day.

“In the training and experience of the investigator, this dramatic undervaluing is consistent with the sale of stolen property,” the probable cause statement says.

When inspectors tried to interview Hickman regarding this information, she allegedly declined and invoked her right to counsel. That led to the search warrant and arrest this week.

What did Arizona Attorney General’s Office say about Vanessa Hickman?

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office placed Hickman on leave Nov. 13 after learning she was under investigation. She resigned on Monday, four days later, according to a spokesman for Attorney General Kris Mayes.

“Attorney General Mayes believes that every individual is entitled to due process, but also that justice must be served. The allegations against Ms. Hickman are serious for any state employee, particularly someone in a leadership position,” communications director Richie Taylor said in a statement, adding that the department had no further comment on the case.

A USPIS representative said the case has been submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

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