(Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa Supreme Court has suspended the license of an Iowa lawyer facing criminal charges of sexually abusing a child.
Enoch Keoki Keli’i Waipa of Council Bluffs, who practices law in Clarinda and the surrounding area, recently filed with the Iowa Supreme Court a response to a proposed disciplinary action that would be based on an April 2026 suspension of his Colorado law license.
Waipa’s Colorado license was suspended for 90 days due to his 2025 convictions in Iowa for child endangerment resulting in bodily injury and domestic abuse assault. Those convictions resulted in a five-year suspended prison sentence and three years of probation.
Faced with a possible 90-day reciprocal suspension of his Iowa law license, Waipa argued that he has “steadfastly maintained his innocence” in the criminal matter and is currently pursuing an appeal of his conviction.
He also argued that the court and the Iowa Attorney Disciplinary Board should consider the fact that he practices in a “legal desert” within Page County, where he represents clients who have been turned away by other practitioners and have no other options for legal representation.
In his filing, Waipa asks the court and the Attorney Disciplinary Board to impose “a lesser period of suspension, if any, and stay any suspension pending the outcome” of his criminal appeal.
The Iowa Supreme Court recently ruled that after considering all of the filings in the case, it “finds no reason why it should not impose reciprocal discipline” and ordered that Waipa’s Iowa license to practice law be suspended for 90 days.
In addition to his pending criminal appeal, Waipa is currently facing criminal charges in a separate matter that was initiated almost two years ago.
In July 2024, Waipa was charged with lascivious acts with a child, indecent contact with a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child and three counts of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. All of the charges relate to a series of alleged incidents involving the same child who was 9 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.
Waipa has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a trial is scheduled for Sept. 1, 2026.
Separately, the alleged victim in the domestic-abuse case is currently suing Waipa for assault, battery and false imprisonment. That case is scheduled to be tried on Jan. 25, 2028.
When contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Waipa declined to comment on the criminal cases and the disciplinary matter.
