Republican legislator in South Carolina agrees to plea guilty to child sexual abuse imagery charges [View all]

Source: The Guardian



A Republican member of the South Carolina state house who 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 different 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.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/27/republican-south-carolina-rj-may-child-sexual-abuse-imagery