A South Carolina Republican lawmaker who repeatedly accused drag queens and transgender people of endangering children has been sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison for distributing child sex abuse material (CSAM).
RJ May, 39, pleaded guilty to five federal counts and was sentenced on Wednesday. During proceedings, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie described the material May shared as “more severe” than anything she had encountered in her career, according to local reporting.
May had previously denied the charges, which stemmed from an investigation that uncovered hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including material involving the rape of seven-year-olds. Investigators said May distributed nearly 500 explicit videos over a five-day period in late March and early April 2024, sharing 265 separate files via the messaging platform Kik.
He allegedly shared CSAM with users across 18 US states and six countries, operating under the username “joebidennnn69”. Prosecutors said some of the content involved children the same age as May’s own child, who was seven at the time. As a result, he was held without bail ahead of trial.
Following his arrest and indictment in June, May was suspended from the South Carolina House and later resigned. He initially attempted to represent himself in court, despite having no legal training, and unsuccessfully sought to suppress evidence obtained from searches of his home and devices. Investigators also presented evidence that May had travelled to Colombia to film himself engaging in sexual acts with underage girls.
His legal team later claimed he had been framed by political opponents, but May ultimately entered a plea agreement that saw five additional charges dropped. While federal prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence, May requested a reduced term followed by house arrest at his family’s farm in Virginia.
A forensic review of May’s phone showed he deleted multiple encrypted messaging apps — including Kik, Telegram, Mega, and Loki Messenger — within seconds of one another in April 2024. He also used the alias “Eric Rentling” on Mega and a linked Facebook account.
Prosecutors said May demonstrated an interest in incest and in children of a similar age to his own. Judge Currie cited the severity of the offences when handing down the sentence.
Before his arrest, May was a founding member of South Carolina’s hardline Freedom Caucus and was known for his anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. In a January 2024 speech on transgender issues, he claimed lawmakers had a duty to ensure “no harm” came to children. In a 2022 social media post, he described drag shows and gender-affirming care as forms of “child exploitation”.
Despite these statements, May was honoured as 2023 Legislator of the Year by the anti-LGBTQ+ group Moms for Liberty, which regularly campaigns to ban LGBTQ+-inclusive books and falsely accuses queer people and allies of “grooming” children.
May also spoke at the group’s 2022 event on “Reclaiming Education in America”. The organisation has not commented publicly on his sentencing.
