The former chief judge of Pickens County Magistrate Court, under indictment for financial fraud and theft, has agreed to never hold judicial office again, a court filing said.
Allen Wigington, who also served as a Probate Court judge, was indicted in November on 57 counts for improperly using his county-issued credit card, forgery, theft and violating his oath of office. His wife, Rosemary Wigington, a high school teacher, also faces two theft by taking counts.
A recent filing by the state judicial watchdog agency with the Georgia Supreme Court includes a consent agreement signed by Wigington in which he said he will never seek judicial office again.
“We came to this resolution to insure the public and judiciary are protected,” the agency’s director, Chuck Boring, said Wednesday.
The state Attorney General’s Office’s prosecution division obtained the indictment. The case was investigated by the GBI and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.
Wigington stepped down as a judge last year after being arrested for allegedly taking funds from a local nonprofit, where he served as treasurer, to pay off personal debts.
After the GBI was brought in, dozens of other alleged offenses were uncovered. This included Wignington running up more than $2,600 in unauthorized charges on his county-issued credit card, the indictment said. Wigington also improperly used that credit card to buy an Apple iWatch, Birkenstock sandals, children’s toys, clothing, an ear wax removal kit and a Nintendo Switch, the indictment said.
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