Republican legislator in South Carolina agrees to plead guilty to child sexual abuse imagery charges | South Carolina | The Guardian
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RJ May is accused of trading hundreds of photos of children involved in sex acts, and faces up to 100 years in prison
A Republican member of the South Carolina statehouse whom prosecutors say used the screen name "joebidennnn69" agreed on Friday to plead guilty to distributing sexual abuse material involving children.
RJ May signed court papers to change his plea a few days after a hearing during which prosecutors laid out how they would present their evidence in May's trial in October. May, who does not have a law degree, is acting as his own attorney.
The Republican, who resigned earlier this year, is accused of using "joebidennnn69" to exchange 220 files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos. Joe Biden, a Democrat, was in the final days of his presidency at the time.
May, 38, is pleading guilty to five counts and faces five to 20 years in prison on each charge. He will have to register as a sex offender and could be fined up to $250,000, according to his plea agreement.
May is scheduled to be in federal court on Monday to officially change his plea. He has been in jail since June after a judge refused bond following his arrest.
May acted as his own attorney at a hearing that included prosecutors showing charts explaining in stark, factual ways what was in each video May is charged with distributing.
During the hearing, May made arguments to the judge to throw out the warrant used to search his home, laptop and mobile devices. The judge had not ruled on the request before May approached prosecutors about pleading guilty on Wednesday.
May also was trying to keep out any evidence about whether he used a fake name to travel to Colombia three times. Prosecutors said they found videos on his laptop of him allegedly having sex with three people. A US homeland security agent testified the people appeared to be underage girls and were paid. US agents have not been able to locate the people.
Prosecutors said they linked May to uploading and downloading the child sexual abuse videos by showing he multitasked, emailing work files, making phone calls and performing web searches as part of his job as a political consultant as he was on Kik asking for "Bad moms. Bad dads. Bad pre teens."
May was in his third term in the South Carolina house when he was arrested. After his election in 2020, he helped create the Freedom caucus, a group of the house's most conservative members who say mainstream Republicans in the chamber aren't the true conservative heart of their party. He also helped the campaigns of Republicans running against party members who were house incumbents.
"We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them," May said in January 2024 on the statehouse floor during a debate on transgender care for minors.
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The Republican, who resigned earlier this year, is accused of using "joebidennnn69" to exchange 220 files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos.
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"We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them," May said in January 2024 on the statehouse floor during a debate on transgender care for minors.
Lock him up.
oh look, a republican pedophile that blames joe biden for his crimes ... ... 100% maga!
I'd bet he's already asked Trump for a pardon and a job heading after school programs.
he's a shoe in for secretary of the dept of education in the trump administration or director of children's activities at mar-a-lardo ...
Break out your tiny maga violin.
May, who resigned earlier this year, is accused of using the screen name “joebidennnn69” to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children on the Kik social media network, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos.
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“My arrest marked the swift and total destruction of all my hopes and dreams. Every plan has been shattered. Every worldly possession is gone. I have been made penniless. My crimes have been published to a global audience. I have brought shame and embarrassment to friends and family alike. My wife has left me," May wrote.
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May was in his third term in the South Carolina House and was attacking fellow Republicans to go in a more conservative direction before he was arrested.
“We as legislators have an obligation to insure that our children have no harm done to them,” May said in January 2024 on the House floor during a debate on transgender care for minors.