A federal judge ordered the arrest of Mel Reynolds, a scandal-scarred former congressman, on Thursday, after Mr. Reynolds defied a judge’s order to return to Chicago to face tax charges, saying that he would remain in South Africa for now with his ailing daughter.

Mr. Reynolds, 64, is scheduled to go on trial in May on misdemeanor charges of failing to file tax returns for four consecutive years. Since Mr. Reynolds was indicted in June, Judge John W. Darrah of Federal District Court in Chicago has allowed him to go to South Africa for visits, but had ordered Mr. Reynolds to return from his latest trip by Thursday. Mr. Reynolds has sought a six-month postponement of the case, but the judge has refused.

“Maybe another parent could walk away from their child now, but I can’t, that is why I will not be in Chicago today,” Mr. Reynolds said in a statement sent to reporters Thursday.

A conviction would be the third for Mr. Reynolds, who represented part of Chicago as a Democrat for less than three years before being forced by his first conviction to resign. He was found guilty in 1995 of felony charges stemming from a sexual relationship with an underage campaign volunteer. In 1997, he was convicted of an array of financial crimes, including bank fraud and misusing campaign funds, after his wife pleaded guilty to related charges.