Former South Carolina state Rep. RJ May, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, was sentenced to prison for 17 1/2 years for distributing videos of children being sexually abused. This is another ‘not a drag queen’ story since May was an anti-LGBTQ+ politician who has accused drag queens and transgender people of harming kids.
LGBTQ Nation reports:
May — who was honored by the anti-LGBTQ+ “parents’ rights” group Moms for Liberty in 2023 as its Legislator of the Year — first denied the charges after investigators found evidence that he had shared hundreds of images of kids, including pictures of adults raping seven-year-olds. Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, who sentenced May, said the CSAM he shared was “more severe” than any other she had ever seen before.
The South Carolina Daily Gazette reports:
May, a West Columbia Republican and founding member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, pleaded guilty in September to sending videos depicting child sexual abuse over a five-day span in April 2024.
After his release from prison, May will spend 20 years under supervised release, with federal parole officers monitoring his actions to be sure he doesn’t reoffend. He must pay a fee of $58,500 to the children shown in the videos he sent who government officials were able to reach.
Prosecutors originally asked for a restitution amount of $73,000, plus a lifetime of supervision following his release. May’s defense attorneys negotiated lower payments to three of the survivors in an effort to make it more likely May is actually able to pay back the full amount.
May will also have to register as a sexual offender for life. And, as a convicted felon, the former campaign consultant will no longer be allowed to vote or hold office.
May resigned in August from the House seat he’d held since 2020. His successor, Lexington County pastor John Lastinger, was sworn in Tuesday, the first day of the legislative session.
May tried a variety of tactics to get off the charges, including his lawyer claiming that May had been framed by his political enemies.
And he seemed to have a thing for Joe Biden:
Investigators found that May sent nearly 500 explicit videos over five days in late March and early April of 2024, including 265 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network under the screen name “joebidennnn69.” He reportedly shared CSAM with other internet users in 18 states and six countries.
…Prosecutors said that May showed sexual interest in incest between young children and their parents, as well as an interest in children the same age as his own kids. Because some of the images featured children the same age as his own child — a seven-year-old — the 39-year-old was held without bail until his trial.
BREAKING: Federal indictment shows SC Rep. RJ May (R-Lexington) is facing 10 counts of distribution of child sex abuse material. Indictment alleges May used aliases including “joebidennnn69” on the social media app Kik and “knowingly did distribute child pornography.” pic.twitter.com/jJ2JgpXLMd
— Mary Green (@MaryGreenNews) June 12, 2025
In a January 2024 House speech on transgender issues and kids, May said, “We as legislators have an obligation to ensure that our children have no harm done to them.” In addition to that, in a November 24, 2022, post on social media, he said that “exposing children to drag shows and pushing sex changes on toddlers” were forms of “child exploitation.”
All of this tracks: Moms for Liberty, the Freedom Caucus, and his first instinct was to blame others. Later, he claimed it was “an addiction.”