South Carolina – A former South Carolina lawmaker has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison after admitting to distributing child se*ual abuse material, closing a case that began with a cyber tip and grew into a multi-agency investigation spanning multiple states and countries.
Robert John “RJ” May III, 39, received a sentence of 210 months in federal prison, followed by 20 years of court-ordered supervision. He was also ordered to pay $58,500 in restitution to eight identified victims and must register as a se* offender for life. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
The case began in May 2024, when authorities received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip reported that dozens of videos containing child se*ual abuse material had been uploaded using Kik, a mobile messaging and file-sharing application, from an IP address located in West Columbia.
Investigators traced the IP address to May and obtained search warrants to determine the source of the uploads. Records showed that the Kik account involved, using the username “joebidennnn69,” contained 220 unique videos and distributed a total of 479 videos to more than 100 users over a five-day period.
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The account also exchanged more than 1,100 messages with other users that explicitly discussed child se*ual abuse material.
Because May was serving as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives at the time, the case was referred to Homeland Security Investigations. Agents executed a search warrant at his home in August 2024, seizing 35 electronic devices, including his cellphone.
A forensic review of the phone revealed that the Kik application had been installed and later deleted during the same period when the videos were shared.
Investigators also found that May’s phone contained a user dictionary entry with the term “joebidennnn,” along with an email address linking him to the Kik account. Analysis of device data and Kik records showed that the videos were sent using either May’s home internet connection or IP addresses associated with his cellphone.
Over the documented five-day period, prosecutors said May sent the material to users in 18 states and six countries. The videos involved extremely young children, including toddlers, and depicted severe abuse. During sentencing, the court reviewed written victim impact statements describing the long-term harm caused by the original abuse and the continued circulation of the material.
A federal grand jury indicted May on June 10, 2025, charging him with 10 counts of distributing child se*ual abuse material. He was arrested the following day. On Sept. 29, 2025, he pleaded guilty to five counts.
At sentencing, U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling said May’s actions stood in direct contrast to the responsibilities of public office. Acting Homeland Security Investigations leadership emphasized that the sentence reflected a broader commitment to holding offenders accountable regardless of their position.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie noted that the sentence exceeded the typical range for similar cases due to the extreme nature of the content involved, describing it as the most severe the court had encountered. Prosecutors said nine victims and three parents submitted impact statements.
In a letter to the court, May wrote that his life had been permanently altered by his actions.
“As a result of my crimes, and perhaps justifiably so, the life I had is forever foreclosed. My arrest marked the swift and total destruction of all my hopes and dreams,” May wrote the court. “Every plan has been shattered. Every worldly possession is gone.”
