Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack (D-North Carolina) faces a felony charge of failing to return a rental car in 2019, a case that casts a pall on the new lawmaker, who defied expectations by unseating a well-funded Republican incumbent last week.
Womack was served a criminal summons for the alleged crime last month while she was campaigning, according to court records. The state valued the rental car at roughly $20,000. Womack was initially scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, but is now slated to have her first appearance Dec. 1, when she will have her probable cause hearing, her attorney Harold Cogdell said. Cogdell declined to comment on the criminal charge itself.
Womack’s campaign and the North Carolina Democratic Party did not respond to requests for comment this week. Shortly after she received her summons, Womack said she had gone through various periods of hardship, including a hospitalization for her Type 1 diabetes while a single mother, as well as a period of homelessness, though she declined to give specifics about her felony charge.
“I look forward to providing answers when I am able to do so, consistent with the legal process,” she said in a statement at the time.
A hearing in Womack’s case was initially scheduled shortly after Election Day, during her new member orientation. Incoming members of the House are in D.C. this week to learn House procedure and to vote on party leadership going into the new Congress.
Her legal record does not constitutionally disqualify her from serving; dozens of lawmakers have been charged with crimes. Members of Congress are generally expected to step down from leadership positions, including committee and subcommittee chairmanships, when charged with major offenses. As an incoming freshman, Womack does not have any leadership positions.
If she is convicted and sentenced to two years or more in prison, House rules would bar her from participating in committees or voting, but she would remain a member of Congress. Members can be expelled only by a two-thirds vote in the House, something that has happened six times in U.S. history.
Womack won her seat in a surprise victory against Rep. Tim Moore in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District. The race was considered relatively safe for Moore, and the district was not included on House Democrats’ list of targets this year. Moore won his seat by more than 16 points in 2024.
Moore, who spent 10 years as speaker of the state House before joining Congress, was also far better equipped financially, with over $2 million raised this election cycle. Womack raised only $59,000 and had no experience in elected office. Moore prominently featured Womack’s felony charge in attack ads, noting her silence about her case throughout her campaign. No Democrats, including Womack, spent a cent in ads on the race. She still ended up winning by just under 3 percentage points.
Womack’s résumé includes various community leadership roles. She currently leads a small Charlotte-area community development financial institution and co-hosts a podcast called “The Politics of Jesus.”
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