South Carolina Republican arrested for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material

A Republican lawmaker from South Carolina, RJ May, on Thursday, June 13, 2025, was arrested and charged with ten counts of distributing child sexual abuse material.

Prosecutors allege that May used the screen name “joebidennnn69” to share more than 220 graphic files involving toddlers and young children through the Kik messaging platform over five days in spring 2024, The Guardian reports.

May, a three-term representative in the South Carolina State House, was taken into custody at his Lexington County home following a lengthy federal investigation.

A judge ruled on Thursday that May, 38, would remain in custody without bail until his trial.

Federal court documents revealed that the material in question was exchanged using both May’s home Wi-Fi network and his personal cellphone.

Some files were sent over a private network, but others were directly traceable to his internet connection.

Prosecutors claim that these activities occurred while Joe Biden was still president, shortly before Donald Trump returned to the White House after winning the 2024 election.

Each of the ten charges carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors said that if found guilty, May could spend more than a decade behind bars.

May’s attorney, Dayne Phillips, raised the possibility that someone else could have accessed the internet at the home.

He referenced a photo of May’s wife that may have shown their Wi-Fi password on a board in the background.

He also argued that investigators had not linked the explicit Kik messages directly to May himself.

Federal prosecutors, however, opposed bail, pointing out that May lives with young children, and that some of the files he’s accused of sharing depict children of a similar age.

This posed a serious risk, they argued, and justified pre-trial detention.

Investigators also looked into May’s international travel, particularly three trips to Colombia under an alias.

On his laptop, agents found videos showing May allegedly engaging in sexual acts with three girls or young women.

A Homeland Security agent testified that the individuals in the videos appeared to be underage and had been paid. Authorities have not yet been able to locate the individuals involved.

Additional evidence includes May’s use of a fake Facebook profile. Investigators say he frequently switched between this alias account and his real profile.

He even used the fake account to research his political opponents, including his primary election challenger.

May’s attorney insisted that no illegal sexual material involving toddlers or young children had been directly found on May’s devices, such as his laptop or cellphone.

Still, prosecutors say the circumstantial and digital evidence strongly points to May’s involvement.

On Thursday, May appeared in court wearing a T-shirt and shorts, with his wrists and ankles shackled.

After the judge ordered that he remain in custody, witnesses say he appeared to blow a kiss to his wife, who was present in the courtroom.

May had been a rising figure among South Carolina’s most conservative lawmakers.

Elected in 2020, he co-founded the Freedom Caucus, a group that often criticized mainstream Republicans for being too moderate.

He also campaigned for conservative challengers running against Republican incumbents.

Just months before his arrest, in January 2024, May spoke on the House floor during a debate over transgender healthcare for minors.

“We as legislators have an obligation to ensure no harm comes to our children,” he said at the time.

His young son had even become a familiar face around the Capitol.

In April 2021, May brought him to the chamber for his third birthday, where the child charmed legislators by practicing a parade wave.

Following the arrest, the Freedom Caucus expelled May from their group and issued a public statement condemning his alleged actions.

Rumors of the investigation had already begun to circulate among lawmakers, and many of May’s colleagues had started distancing themselves.

During the legislative session, he had been seen sitting mostly alone at his desk in the back of the 124-seat chamber.

The House Speaker suspended May from his legislative duties after the federal indictment.

During questioning, May’s lawyer asked a Homeland Security agent whether she was aware that May had numerous political enemies, implying that he may have been framed.

The agent replied, “There are a fair amount of people who don’t like me either, Mr. Phillips.”

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