A SOUTH Carolina representative who prosecutors say used the username “joebidennnn69” has been charged with distributing child sex abuse material.
RJ May, 38, was arrested on a 10-count indictment on Wednesday and immediately suspended from office as he faces federal charges.
The indictment says the Republican lawmaker used the screen name to exchange files containing child sexual abuse on the social messaging app Kik.
Cops started investigating May after Kik flagged suspicious activity to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April 2024.
They then connected the account to May’s home IP address and phone.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department found the account shared at least 10 videos depicting child sexual abuse.
The videos show extremely graphic depictions of sex acts involving minors, prosecutors said in court documents.
Cops said the first message containing sexual abuse material was sent on March 31, 2024, according to CBS affiliate WTLX.
The Kik account sent or received about 1,147 messages between March 30, 2024, and April 4, 2024, some of which were about trading CSAM with other users.
Prosecutors say the Kik account was deleted alongside a Telegram and Mega account, all within seconds of each other on April 4.
Homeland Security agents searched May’s house in August and seized nearly three dozen electronic devices from his home.
May is married and has two young children.
The lawmaker was elected to the House in 2020 and went on to help create the South Carolina Freedom Caucus, which is a group of extremely conservative politicians.
Following May’s arrest on Wednesday, the Freedom Caucus announced they kicked him out of their organization.
The group said he hadn’t been involved since August, around the time his home was raided.
“Although formal charges have not been made public yet, all indications are that these indictments will be for child sex abuse materials,” SCFC Chairman Jordan Pace said.
“These crimes are heinous and we expect that they will be fully investigated. We pray justice is served.”
South Carolina Freedom Caucus’ statement
South Carolina Freedom Caucus issued the following statement from Chairman and Representative Jordan Pace about RJ May’s arrest:
“The South Carolina Freedom Caucus stands firmly for the rule of law and the protection of children.
“Representative RJ May has been expelled from our caucus.
“He has not been involved in the operations of the caucus since August of 2024.
“We call for his immediate resignation from the house.
“Although formal charges have not been made public yet, all indications are that these indictments will be for child sex abuse materials.
“These crimes are heinous and we expect that they will be fully investigated.
“We pray justice is served.”
Source: SCFC
May hasn’t spoken publicly about the charges and has not returned The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
Prosecutors claimed May used another alias besides “joebidennnn69,” on his Mega account.
‘ERIC RENTLING’ ALIAS
Investigators found May’s Mega account was registered to the name Eric Rentling.
The Eric Rentling alias was also used to create a Facebook account, which cops said had a photo that “appears to be a picture of the back of May’s head,” according to NBC affiliate WIS-TV.
The Eric Rentling account had conversations with women from Colombia appearing to arrange sexual encounters.
May allegedly searched for his political rivals on the Facebook account, cops said.
Prosecutors said May’s activity on Kik revealed that he allegedly had a “sexual interest in children the same age as his own children,” WIS-TV reported.
He is also accused of having a “sexual interest in incest” between young children and their parents, investigators said.
“May engaged in this behavior on his cell phone and from his own home on multiple occasions, presumably without his wife’s knowledge,” a memo that was unsealed on Thursday said.
“If he can hide this criminal activity from the person he shares a bedroom with, then he can easily hide it from any court enforcement mechanism.”
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER
After May’s indictment was announced, South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith suspended him from office without pay.
If he’s found guilty, his seat would be declared vacant.
May represented District 88 in Lexington County, which is just outside Columbia, South Carolina.
He last won re-election in November 2024.
The conservative politician was known for being vocal throughout his first years in the House.
In January 2024, May took the House floor to speak during a debate on transgender treatment for minors.
“We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them,” he said at the time.
However, South Carolina Public Radio reported that the three-term legislator was recently more noticeably subdued at a state legislative session that started on January 14 and ended on May 8.
He didn’t file any legislation or take the floor at all during the session, and was mostly seen staying on his phone instead of interacting with other legislators, SCPR said.
May faces a maximum federal prison sentence of 20 years and a potential fine of $250,000 if convicted.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
