A federal grand jury has indicted a South Carolina state representative with ten counts related to distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The Justice Department alleges that state Rep. Robert May III, 38, used the username joebidennnn69 to post videos featuring the sexual abuse of minor children, according to a Thursday press release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber-tip from the social messaging app Kik. Kik flagged several videos from the username “joebidennnn69” as containing child sexual abuse. Investigators connected the account to the home IP address and mobile device of May and identified at least 10 videos depicting child sexual abuse that were shared from the account.
May faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison with a minimum of five years, a fine of $250,000, and a term of at least five years of supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment.
A federal grand jury in Greenville returned a 10-count indictment against Robert John May III, 38, of West Columbia, for distributing child sexual abuse material.@HSI_Charlotte investigated.
— U.S. Attorney SC (@USAO_SC) June 12, 2025
🔗 https://t.co/gclThcTfXg pic.twitter.com/HS3OewA7mb
Federal investigators raided the former lawmaker’s home last year and seized his electronic devices, according to ABC Columbia. The South Carolina Freedom Caucus, which May co-founded, issued a statement shortly after his arrest saying that it “stands firmly for the rule of law and the protection of children” and noted that May had “been expelled from our caucus.”
Brandon Charochak, spokesman for Gov. Henry McMaster, told WSPA that “The governor finds the details described in the indictment to be abhorrent, disgusting and quite disturbing.”
Republican state Rep. Thomas Beach, in a post on X, stated that “The justice system must take its full course,” but that if May is convicted, “he should be punished to every extent that the law allows.”
Like everyone else, I was stunned when I first learned that May’s home had been raided by law enforcement last August. I trusted him. We all did. And like so many others, I wanted answers. But he disappeared—cut off contact entirely. Neither I nor any of my colleagues in the Caucus were able to reach him. Unable to discover the truth, with only whispers and suspicions to go on, it didn’t accord with my conscience to denounce someone who hadn’t yet been formally accused of a crime. So, like everyone else, I waited for some kind of answer to emerge.
I didn’t see him or speak to him again until January when the legislative session began. To be frank, I was surprised to see him show up to session, and I think everyone else was too. So before the session began we suspended him from the caucus for lack of attendance and participation and thus he had no role in any of our caucus meetings during session.
Until today, I have refrained from making any public statement regarding the disturbing situation surrounding R.J. May.
— Rep. Thomas Beach (@ThomasBeach) June 12, 2025
The justice system must take its full course. Due process is the bedrock of our republic. But let me be clear: the charges brought against May are not casual…
May took office in 2020 and co-founded the South Carolina House Freedom Caucus.