Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, once pegged a rising star in the Republican Party, was arrested at his Florida home this week, according to reports.
According to local media outlets GulfCoastNewsNow, the 28-year-old Republican was arrested early Wednesday at his new home in Cape Coral after failing to appear in court over a citation last month for driving without a valid license.
Disgraced ex-Rep. Madison Cawthorn arrested days after announcing political comeback plot https://t.co/dznMPzSDgq pic.twitter.com/lU6MWybNMs
— New York Post (@nypost) September 11, 2025
Cawthorn’s reps confirmed the arrest citing a scheduling mishap, saying he “was arrested … for failure to appear for a routine traffic infraction.”
“Madison keeps a very busy schedule and, due to a scheduling misunderstanding, did not appear in court this morning. Following processing Madison was immediately released” his reps said.
Cawthorn was booked and released on a $2,000 bond, according to records from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office obtained by The New York Post.
Cawthorn’s arrest comes after Axios reported last week he was preparing to launch a campaign to run for Congress in Florida’s 19th District.
Cawthorn served North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District for just one term, which was marred in scandal.
Cawthorn was linked to wild accusations that lawmakers on Capitol Hill invited him to orgies and snorted cocaine in front of him.
In 2024, Cawthorn was accused of tailgating a woman and then rear-ending a Florida Highway Patrol officer in Collier County.
He did not face any serious charges from the incident.
Cawthorn has been in a wheelchair since he was partially paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 18.