Actually, if he has not paid the infraction in 30 days, the judge issues a bench warrant for his arrest in that county. This "failure to appear" can get him arrested.
Have your buddy call the court and make payment arrangements, even late..... This will be entered as a "Bail Forfeiture" and will resolve the issue, the FTA will go bye bye...
Tell him to "man up" and pay the damned fine before he even thinks about getting a license.