COLUMBIA, S.C. — Robert John “RJ” May, III, 39, of West Columbia, has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in May 2024 the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated that on March 31, 2024, 50 videos containing child sexual abuse material were uploaded using Kik, a mobile file sharing application, from a West Columbia IP address. LCSD executed search warrants to determine where the videos originated and discovered the IP address was registered to Robert John May. Furthermore, they discovered the Kik account, “joebidennnn69”, contained 220 unique videos and distributed 479 videos to over 100 Kik users over five days. The account user also communicated explicitly with other users about child sexual abuse material by sending and receiving over 1,100 messages.

Because May was a sitting member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, the case was referred to Homeland Security Investigations. HSI executed a search warrant on May’s home in August 2024 and seized 35 electronic devices, including May’s phone. A forensic analysis of May’s phone revealed the phone contained a Kik app in March and April 2024 that was subsequently deleted. May’s user dictionary, a feature that stores commonly typed phrases on a cellphone, contained the term “joebidennnn” along with an email address that connected him to the joebidennnn69 account. Analysis of May’s phone and the Kik records revealed the 479 videos were sent using either May’s home IP address or IP addresses associated with his cellphone.

Over the five-day period for which data was available, May distributed 220 unique videos, which he sent to 100 different users in 18 states and six countries.  The videos included toddlers depicted in physical pain and extreme and humiliating sexual abuse. At sentencing, the court heard from victims through written victim impact statements on the lasting harm caused by their abuse and the continued distributions.

May was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 10, 2025, for 10 counts of distributing child sexual abuse material and arrested the following day. On Sept. 29, 2025, May pleaded guilty to five counts of distributing child sexual abuse material.

“He was elected to make a positive impact on his community, but instead he exploited the most innocent and vulnerable in our society. This is simply inexcusable,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and prosecute those who harm children.”

“Those who exploit and abuse children are among the most reprehensible offenders in our society, and today’s sentencing sends a clear message: no one is above the law, regardless of their position or title,” said Kyle D. Burns, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in North Carolina and South Carolina. “HSI is unwavering in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and will relentlessly pursue anyone who preys on children. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who commit these horrific crimes are brought to justice and held fully accountable for their actions.”

United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced May to 210 months imprisonment, to be followed by a 20-year term of court-ordered supervision.  At sentencing, Judge Currie noted that the sentence was higher than the average for similar charges because May’s content was the most severe the court had seen. There is no parole in the federal system. He was also ordered to pay $58,500 in restitution to eight identified victims and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Matthews, Elliott B. Daniels, and Dean Secor prosecuted the case along with Department of Justice Trial Attorney Austin Berry.

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* The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. The Associated Press Stylebook also discourages the use of the phrase “child pornography.”