Have him PM me his cd key and I can check against the NA perma ban list to see if it is on there. We don't type them in, so I don't know how this might have happened unless he bought it off of a previous player somehow. If it is a new key from Taleworlds/Steam, no, it shouldn't be banned simply because it is the first time playing the mod.
Also, it sounds like a global ban. Usually they are done by region. So something odd is up with your key.