SC Rep. RJ May indicted, accused of distributing child sexual abuse material
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – The U.S. Attorney’s Office says a federal grand jury in Greenville returned a 10-count indictment against South Carolina Representative Robert John May III accusing him of distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to Bryan P. Stirling, United States Attorney of the District of South Carolina, May faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison with a minimum of five years.
He also faces a fine of $250,000, and a term of at least five years of supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment.
According to court documents, in April 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber-tip from the social messaging app Kik.
According to officials, Kik flagged several videos from the username “joebidennnn69” as containing child sexual abuse. Investigators connected the account to the home IP address and mobile device of May and identified at least 10 videos depicting child sexual abuse that were shared from the account.
Last year, federal investigators raided May’s home and seized multiple electronic devices.
The South Carolina Freedom Caucus, which May co-founded, released a statement following May’s arrest on Wednesday:
The South Carolina Freedom Caucus stands firmly for the rule of law and the protection of children. Representative RJ May has been expelled from our caucus. He has not been involved in the operations of the caucus since August of 2024. We call for his immediate resignation from the House.
May represented District 88 in Lexington Co.
He will be arraigned in federal court Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m.
