SOUTH CAROLINA (WSPA) – Former South Carolina State Representative Robert John “RJ” May III has admitted guilt to five federal charges related to distributing child sexual abuse material, opting not to proceed with his trial that was set for October 9.

May, alongside the Government, submitted a joint plea agreement to federal prosecutors, which saw some minor amendments before being signed and sanctioned by a federal judge on Monday, September 29. As a result, the ex-legislator awaits a sentencing hearing on January 14, 2026. Each charge carries a minimum prison sentence of 5 years and can extend up to 20 years, includes fines of $250,000, and mandates supervised release spanning from 5 years to life, along with compulsory lifetime registration as a sex offender.

The probe into May’s activities initiated in 2024 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cyber alert from the social messaging application Kik, which detected the distribution of child sexual abuse materials via its platform.

Authorities traced the illicit activities back to May’s residential IP address and cellphone, eventually uncovering the usage of pseudonyms like “joebidennnn69” and “Eric Rentling” for distributing the offensive content. Federal agents discovered May had disseminated over 470 files within a span of five days, all illustrating the sexual abuse of minors.

“These files are shared over and over again….Every download re-victimizes these children and fuels this evil industry,” said Stirling.

Stirling conveyed that the collected evidence comprises hundreds of distinct, non-repetitive videos showing children, some as young as infants and toddlers, being sexually abused.

He stated that there are 62 victims, out of which 21 have been identified. Stirling emphasized, “These are the most vulnerable among us. Children who are not even old enough to protect themselves.”

Prosecutors described the scope of evidence as overwhelming, including 10,000 pages of discovery and lots of digital evidence. The Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section was also brought in to support the investigation.

May had initially planned to represent himself at trial, but Monday requested that his public defenders take over, the judge granted his request.

“There’s not going to be a trial, so there’s no risk. You never know what a jury is going to do. Although the evidence obviously was overwhelming, so this gives us certainty that he pled to five counts and he will serve time,” said Stirling.

Scott Matthews, the Assistant U.S. Attorney and Lead Prosecutor, in case said, “The counts that do get dismissed are still considered and held against him, so we don’t feel the sentence would be any substantively different, whether it was five counts or ten counts.”

He added that there were 958 files containing child pornography sent from May’s home. Matthews said it’s important to note, May’s home Wi-Fi is password protected.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, the judge will decide, after a report and interviews from the US Probation office, whether the five sentences will run concurrently or consecutively. If served consecutively, May could theoretically face five years-100 years in prison.

“This is a win for the prosecution,” said Bill Nettles, attorney. “He’s been prosecuted. He’s pled guilty. It’s public knowledge. He’s going to prison. Whether it’s five years or 20, for someone like him, his life is, for all intents and purposes, over.”

By signing the agreement, May cannot appeal, try to get parole, or potentially run to be a Lawmaker again. As well, he cannot vote in elections, own a firearm, or serve on a jury. He will also forfeit his electronic devices and pay restitution to the identified victims.