Background: Republican South Carolina Rep. RJ May of Lexington sits at his new desk during the organizational session for the South Carolina House on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File) Inset: South Carolina Rep. RJ May, R-West Columbia, walks down the aisle of the House on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
A South Carolina lawmaker has been arrested and accused of distributing child pornography under the screen name “joebidennnn69.”
Rep. RJ May of the South Carolina House of Representatives was charged with ten counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children. He faces 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation into May began in April 2024 when the social messaging app Kik contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about several videos “containing child sexual abuse,” according to a release from the Justice Department about the indictment. Investigators said they discovered the account was tied to a computer and cellphone at May’s South Carolina address, and they found ten videos “depicting child sexual abuse that were shared from the account.”
May, 38, was arrested on Wednesday and booked into the Lexington County Jail. He appeared in court on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported.
The “joebidennnn69” account, which also used the alias “Eric Rentling,” was reportedly created in March 2024, days before the messages containing child sexual abuse material were shared between April 1 and 4, 2024. The account was deleted five days after its creation, Britton Lorenzen, a special agent for the Department of Homeland Security, told the outlet, but not before it shared more than 1,100 messages, most of which were explicit.
Investigators identified 220 different videos and images depicting child sexual abuse saved to the account, Lorenzen reportedly testified in court.
May, a Republican, was a cofounder of the conservative South Carolina Freedom Caucus. Earlier this year, he begun his third term in the Palmetto State’s lower chamber, having served since 2020. He has been suspended since the indictment.
It is unclear why whoever created the account chose the name of former President Joe Biden, though May’s X account history contains criticisms of Democrats and the “Uniparty.”
He helped Republican campaigns seeking to unseat GOP House incumbents, according to The Associated Press, and railed against gender-affirming care.
“We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them,” May reportedly said in January 2024 on the state House floor during a debate on transgender care for minors.
The state Freedom Caucus announced following the indictment that May was “expelled” from the group.
“He has not been involved in the operations of the caucus since August 2024. We call for his immediate resignation from the House,” Chairman Jordan Pace wrote. “These crimes are heinous and we expect that they will be fully investigated. We pray justice is served.”
May has two children of his own under 10 years old, prosecutors are said to have pointed out on Thursday as they requested he remain in jail until his trial. The federal judge agreed, ruling May will be jailed without bond pending trial, for which a date has not yet been announced.
