Public defender who admitted 13 instances of theft wins back law license

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) - With the support of judges and a member of the Iowa House of Representatives, the Iowa Supreme Court has reinstated the license of a lawyer arrested for more than a dozen instances of shoplifting.

Cassi Wigington, who was first licensed to practice law in Iowa in January 2020, admitted in court filings last year that in August and September 2023, she committed the crime of theft by shoplifting from a Hy-Vee store in Gretna, Nebraska.

Wigington admitted she stole merchandise by intentionally failing to scan some items at the self-checkout.

“After positioning the bar code away from the scanner, I passed some items over so it would not scan,” she stated in a sworn affidavit. “I shoplifted over 300 items valued in the aggregate at $2,721.50 from the Gretna Hy-Vee on 13 different occasions between August 6, 2023, and September 13, 2023.”

She indicated that after being charged with felony theft by shoplifting, she entered into a diversion agreement with the Sarpy County Attorney’s Office in which she agreed to pay restitution and the theft charge was dismissed.

Wigington acknowledged she initially had claimed she was falsely accused of shoplifting by telling the Iowa Attorney Disciplinary Board the situation stemmed from a technological failure of the scanning device “to warn the customer of the failure to scan” items.

“When I made these statements to the board, I did not have the surveillance footage of my actions,” she stated in her 2025 affidavit. “I now acknowledge I shoplifted the groceries.”

Prior to the Iowa Supreme Court’s June 2025 decision to suspend her license for six months, Wigington argued for a 30-day suspension, noting that northwest Iowa was in serious need of public defenders.

“Any lengthy suspension of me will result in considerable disruption in the Second Judicial District,” she stated. “I currently have approximately 700 cases assigned to me — several cases are companion charges pending against one defendant. It is extremely difficult to get lawyers to take these cases.”

She also argued that in her position as a state public defender, she was under enormous financial pressure. Wigington, who was paid $76,544 in 2023 as a public defender, said when she agreed to serve as a public defender, she “did not fully grasp the severe financial impact this decision would have on my ability to care for my four children and my mother, who lives with us.”

The Attorney Disciplinary Board, which had recommended the six-month suspension, said Wigington’s claim that she stole items to provide “basic needs” for her family was less than persuasive, noting that she had “shoplifted boxed wine, multiple bottles of liquor and an ice maker,” among other things.

In October 2025, Wigington applied for reinstatement of her Iowa law license.

Buena Vista County Attorney Paul Allen, who had notified the Attorney Disciplinary Board of Wigington’s arrest, wrote a letter to the Iowa Supreme Court supporting her reinstatement, as did Patrick Tott, chief judge of Iowa’s Third Judicial District in northwest Iowa.

“Despite the concerns that led to Ms. Wigington’s suspension, her courtroom behavior and efforts on behalf of her clients never caused any concern for me regarding unethical behavior by Ms. Wigington as far as the manner in which she represented her clients or engaged in the actual practice of law,” Tott wrote.

Iowa Rep. Megan Jones, a Republican from Clay County who has worked in Allen’s office as a Buena Vista County prosecutor, also submitted a letter to the court, written on Iowa House of Representatives letterhead.

“She screwed up and for that there must be some ramifications,” Jones told the court. “At the same time, she needs to get beyond this and get back to work. As a prosecutor, I had the opportunity to work with Cassi. She was diligent, fair, and works well with difficult clients … Cassi, like the clients she represents, made mistakes. She pursues second chances and grace for them — and today I ask the same for her.”

District Court Judge Adam Miller also wrote in support of Wigington, calling her an “attorney of exceptional character and competence” and arguing she is “indispensable” to the Third Judicial District. “She manages an extraordinarily high volume of public defender cases while maintaining consistent professionalism and thorough preparation,” Miller wrote.

Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court agreed to lift Wigington’s suspension, making her fully qualified to resume the practice of law in Iowa.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Wigington for comment Friday.