Federal prosecutors say they will ask the court to sentence former Republican state lawmaker RJ May to prison for 20 years in his child sexual abuse material case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of South Carolina said in a sentencing memo filed Jan. 9 prosecutors will also ask federal Judge Cameron Currie to follow that sentence with lifetime supervision and $73,000 in restitution for eight victims who submitted requests.
May, who helped launched the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus while in office, will also have to register as a sex offender. It also means the former Republican political consultant will lose the right to vote, hold public office, own a gun and be a juror.
"From his home and cell phone, May freely talked about the type of child abuse videos he preferred as he sent 220 unique videos to child pornographers in 18 states and six countries over a 5-day period," prosecutors wrote to the court. "May was a hub of child pornography distribution. At the same time, he was voting to criminalize and impose severe penalties for child pornography distribution."
May, a father to two young children, pleaded guilty in September to five counts of distributing child sex abuse material.
As part of his guilty plea, May admitted he went by the "joebidennnn69" username on the Kik app to distribute the material over a five-day period in spring 2024 — all while representing a Lexington County district in the S.C. House.
Additionally, May has been charged with three counts of failing to file and pay state taxes from 2022 to 2024. The 39-year-old owes the state more than $14,000 in unpaid taxes.
Federal prosecutors said May possessed 220 unique files of child sex abuse material, of which he distributed 479 times and sent more than 1,100 messages to other people.
"The victims May sought out were so young they were unable to protect themselves," prosecutors wrote. "Some were too young to realize the abusers were hurting them."
Prosecutors said nine victims and three parents submitted impact statements.
In one statement, submitted by a victim named Lily, she wrote the impact has caused her "unending grief."
"My kids are around the ages that I was when sexually abusive things happened to me including the creation of CSAM; seeing how innocent my children are makes me understand more — not just how vulnerable I was — but also even more how sickening it is that perpetrators view the images of me being sexually abused at those ages. It hits me harder emotionally," she wrote.
May will remain in the Edgefield County jail until he is transferred to a federal prison.
In federal court Wednesday, May, who initially fired his attorneys and chose to represent himself, will be represented by public defenders after Currie granted his request that they be allowed for the sentencing phase.
It is unclear whether May will speak in federal court Wednesday.
At his hearing in September, May was asked whether he wanted to address his charges.
"Not at this time, your honor" he replied.
May's former House District 88 seat has since been filled in a special election by Lexington pastor John Lastinger, who will serve the remainder of the unexpired term that ends in November.
All 124 S.C. House seats are up for reelection this year.
The Legislature returns to session Tuesday.
