Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Darren Sikes, a former correctional peace officers union president, was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for misusing at least $134,000 belonging to the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association (AZCPOA).
Sikes became President of AZCPOA in 2016. In 2019, a criminal complaint was filed with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AGO) regarding possible stolen union funds. An AGO investigator discovered that between 2016 and 2019, Sikes spent at least $134,000 of union money on personal nonunion expenditures, including a vehicle and a patio.
Sikes pleaded guilty to Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, a class 2 felony offense; Theft, a class 2 felony offense; and Theft, a class 5 felony offense. A Maricopa County Superior Court Judge sentenced Sikes on August 19th to 1.5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry. He will serve a term of supervised probation following his release from prison.
Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Nye prosecuted this case.