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

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.

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 account with the username “joebidennnn69.” Investigators found at least 10 of those videos had been shared from that account 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.

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. 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 to 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, who lives in West Columbia, 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.

The Lexington County representative spearheaded the group’s strategy during its early years as it frequently clashed with members 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.

May was marked present every day of this year’s legislative session, which began in January and ended in early May. However, the once-vocal member remained silent during debates on the House floor, largely staying seated at his back-corner desk throughout the year.

“The people of District 88 elected me to do a job, and that’s what I’m here to do,” May said during a House reorganizational session Dec. 3, in response to reporters’ questions about the investigation and upcoming session. “The people elected me to do a job, and I’ll continue to do the job I’ve done for the last four years.”

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