(Iowa Capital Dispatch) An Iowa lawyer facing criminal charges of sexually abusing a child is challenging a potential suspension of his law license for a domestic abuse conviction.
Enoch Keoki Keli’i Waipa of Council Bluffs, who practices law in Clarinda and the surrounding area, has filed with the Iowa Supreme Court a response to a proposed disciplinary action that would be based on a recent suspension of his Colorado law license.
Waipa’s Colorado law license was suspended in April 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 now argues that he has “steadfastly maintained his innocence” in the criminal matter and is currently pursuing an appeal of his conviction.
“Given that the disciplinary punishment in Colorado stems solely from this contested criminal conviction and bears no relationship whatsoever to Mr. Waipa’s professional conduct or his practice of law, a 90-day suspension in Iowa at this juncture would be unduly severe and premature,” he argues in his filing with the Iowa Supreme Court.
He adds that the court and the Iowa Attorney Disciplinary Board should also 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.
In addition to his pending criminal appeal and disciplinary action, 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. When contacted Wednesday by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, he declined to comment on the criminal cases or the disciplinary matter.
