S.C. lawmaker RJ May, aka joebidennnn69, indicted in child porn
COLUMBIA, S.C. - A state lawmaker from Lexington County has been indicted on nearly a dozen federal child sex abuse material charges, according to federal court filings unsealed Thursday.
Rep. RJ May, R – Lexington, is charged with 10 counts of distributing child sexual abuse material. Those charges carry a maximum 20-year prison sentence, with a minimum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Judge Shiva Hodges ordered May remain detained pending trial after a nearly two-hour arraignment and detention hearing on Thursday.
May was also suspended from his role in the South Carolina House of Representatives on Thursday via a letter penned by South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith.
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, the social messaging app Kik alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April 2024 of several videos containing child sex abuse from an with the name “joebidennnn69.” Investigators found at least 10 of those videos had been shared from that and connected it with May’s mobile device and home IP address.
Last August, federal Homeland Security Investigations agents seized nearly three-dozen devices, including cellphones, hard drives, and thumb drives, from May, according to an unsealed court document filed in October.
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The court filing was a request from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, asking for more time with the evidence investigators seized, which was permitted. In it, the federal government said it had expected to criminally indict May by March of this year, though it was unclear at that time what charges were expected to be brought against him or the scope and nature of the investigation.
State law requires the Speaker of the House immediately suspend state representatives who are indicted in state or federal court for certain crimes, including felonies, without pay until they are acquitted, convicted, plead guilty, or plead nolo contendere. Lawmakers who are convicted lose their seat, while those who are acquitted or whose charges are dismissed can be reinstated and receive back pay.
May was first elected to his District 88 seat in the House of Representatives in 2020 and was most recently reelected to his third term last November.
He is a founding member of the hardline conservative South Carolina Freedom Caucus, which has been part of the effort to push the Republican Party in South Carolina further to the right.
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The Lexington County representative spearheaded the group’s strategy during its early years as it frequently clashed with of the larger House Republican Caucus, serving as vice chair of the Freedom Caucus until mid-2024, when the group elected new leadership.
Last November, after the search and seizure of May’s property became public knowledge, Freedom Caucus leaders declined to answer reporters’ questions at a news conference about his status with the group. Later that year, they confirmed May was suspended as a member.
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