James Phillip Womack, the son of Arkansas Republican Congressman Steve Womack, was sentenced in May 2024 to eight years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. In January 2026, President Donald Trump commuted the rest of his sentence, and he was released to his family in Arkansas while his mother undergoes cancer treatment.
The Federal Meth Conviction
Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Arkansas indicted James Womack on April 26, 2023, on two counts: distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine and possessing a multi-caliber rifle as a convicted felon.1KNWA/KFTA. Womack’s Son Pleads Guilty in Federal Drug Case2PACER Monitor. USA v. Womack
He pleaded guilty to the distribution count on October 2, 2023, under an agreement that dismissed the firearms charge.1KNWA/KFTA. Womack’s Son Pleads Guilty in Federal Drug Case2PACER Monitor. USA v. Womack3Arkansas Times. Son of Northwest Arkansas Congressman Sentenced to Prison in Drug Case
A Long Record of Drug Arrests
The federal case was not James Womack’s first. In November 2010, while his father was mayor of Rogers, he pleaded guilty in Bentonville to a methamphetamine charge and received a 10-year sentence that he shortened by completing a boot camp program.4Northwest Arkansas Newspapers. Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge5KFSM-TV. Arkansas James Womack, Son of Steve Womack, Arrested in Tontitown
He was booked for parole violations in April and November 2012, faced additional drug charges in September 2018 and July 2022, and in 2019 drew a nine-year state prison sentence on felony drug and gun charges.5KFSM-TV. Arkansas James Womack, Son of Steve Womack, Arrested in Tontitown3Arkansas Times. Son of Northwest Arkansas Congressman Sentenced to Prison in Drug Case
The Tontitown Arrest That Led to Federal Charges
The federal indictment grew out of an overnight arrest in Tontitown, Arkansas, in January 2023. Womack was booked on roughly a dozen charges, including possession of a controlled substance, reckless driving, driving the wrong way on a one-way street, criminal mischief, and fleeing from police.5KFSM-TV. Arkansas James Womack, Son of Steve Womack, Arrested in Tontitown
State charges in Washington County Circuit Court proceeded alongside the federal case. They included felony fleeing, second-degree criminal mischief, and possession of drug paraphernalia tied to heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. Those charges were still pending as of mid-2024.3Arkansas Times. Son of Northwest Arkansas Congressman Sentenced to Prison in Drug Case
The Trump Commutation
On January 15, 2026, President Trump signed an executive grant of clemency commuting the remainder of James Womack’s federal prison sentence. It was one of eight commutations issued that day, with the other recipients convicted of offenses from drug conspiracy to mail and wire fraud.6U.S. Department of Justice. Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump
A White House official cited his good behavior in prison and his family’s health situation: his mother had been diagnosed with abdominal cancer, and his brother has a seizure disorder that affects his ability to live independently.7USA Today. Trump Grants Clemency to Congressman Steve Womack’s Son The commutation shortened his time in custody but did not wipe the conviction. His five-year term of supervised release and all its conditions remain in place.8KNWA/KFTA. President Trump Grants Clemency to Arkansas Congressman’s Son
Rep. Steve Womack thanked the president and said Trump had spoken by phone with his wife and her care team about the family’s circumstances.7USA Today. Trump Grants Clemency to Congressman Steve Womack’s Son The congressman’s office said the clemency let James “be with his family during a profoundly difficult time.”8KNWA/KFTA. President Trump Grants Clemency to Arkansas Congressman’s Son
Who Steve Womack Is
Steve Womack has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He sits on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs its Transportation, Housing and Urban Development subcommittee, and he previously chaired the House Budget Committee.9U.S. House of Representatives. Committees – Congressman Steve Womack10U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Womack Named THUD Chairman He has aligned with Trump on major legislation, including the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”11U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Womack Votes for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Available reporting does not say whether Steve Womack personally asked the White House to intervene in his son’s case.