𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗢𝗠 𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗖𝗨𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗫𝗨𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘 "𝗝𝗢𝗘𝗕𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗡𝗡𝟲𝟵"

     

For nearly four years, R.J. May III made a name for himself in the South Carolina State House as the Republican who loved nothing more than picking fights, often with members of his own party. As a founding member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, the District 88 lawmaker seemed to thrive on making political waves while running his consulting firm, Ivory Tusk Consulting, on the side.

That wave-crashing career hit a brick wall in June 2024, when a federal grand jury indicted him on ten counts related to distributing child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors say that in April, May, allegedly using the charming username “joebidennnn69," shared multiple videos of minors, including toddlers, being abused over a five-day span on the messaging app Kik. Authorities were tipped off after Kik and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged the activity. Investigators say the files came from May’s home Wi-Fi and his personal phone, which, if true, would make “my network was hacked” a hard sell.

May’s lawyer insists the case isn’t what it seems. Federal prosecutors, on the other hand, are confident their forensic trail leads right to him. If convicted, May faces five to twenty years in prison per count, plus fines and supervised release, which is one way to ensure someone never meddles in caucus politics again.

By law, a felony indictment means instant suspension from public office in South Carolina. May was held without bond in Edgefield County, and on August 8, he resigned, saying it was in his constituents’ “best interests.” House leaders formally took the resignation four days later, ending a term that began in 2020 and was packed with hard-right alliances, primary challenges, and more than a few headaches for GOP leadership.

His trial was supposed to start September 10, but on August 12, his attorney asked for a delay to review evidence and discuss a “possible resolution, legal speak for “let’s see if we can make a deal.” A pre-trial hearing is now set for August 20.

A special election to replace him is scheduled for December 23, with candidate filing opening August 29 and primaries set for October 21. Among the early hopefuls: Republican businessman Brian Duncan, who’s already run for the seat once and is clearly ready for round two.

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