South Carolina Republican lawmaker RJ May has been indicted on 10 counts of distributing child sex abuse material.
May, 38, will be arraigned at the federal courthouse in Columbia at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shiva Hodges.
House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, is expected to suspend May from office shortly, as required by law.
In April 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip from social messaging app Kik, which flagged videos from username “joebidennnn69” that contained child sexual abuse, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of South Carolina.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said investigators connected the Kik account to a home IP address and mobile device of May, and identified at least 10 videos showing child sexual abuse that were shared from the account.
May faces a maximum federal prison sentence of 20 years, with a minimum of five years, a fine of $250,000 and a term of at least five years of supervised release to follow.
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May, 38, will be arraigned at the federal courthouse in Columbia at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shiva Hodges.
House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, is expected to suspend May from office shortly, as required by law.
In April 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip from social messaging app Kik, which flagged videos from username “joebidennnn69” that contained child sexual abuse, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of South Carolina.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said investigators connected the Kik account to a home IP address and mobile device of May, and identified at least 10 videos showing child sexual abuse that were shared from the account.
May faces a maximum federal prison sentence of 20 years, with a minimum of five years, a fine of $250,000 and a term of at least five years of supervised release to follow.
SC Rep. RJ May charged with distribution of child sex abuse material
South Carolina Rep. RJ May, a Lexington County Republican who cofounded the House Freedom Caucus, was indicted on federal charges of distributing child sex abuse material.
www.southcarolinapublicradio.org
State Rep. RJ May arrested, booked at Lexington County jail
May has been representing Lexington County since 2021.
www.wltx.com
