Columbia, SC – A former South Carolina state lawmaker has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material, officials confirmed this week.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, Robert John May III, 38, of West Columbia, admitted to five counts of distributing child exploitation material. The charges stemmed from a 2024 investigation that uncovered hundreds of files linked to his online activity.
Authorities said the case began in May 2024, when a tip from the messaging app Kik was forwarded to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators tied the username “joebidennnn69” to May, who allegedly distributed more than 479 videos over a five-day period. A forensic analysis later connected the same accounts to May’s home internet, phone, and email addresses.
Prosecutors revealed May attempted to erase evidence by deleting accounts and messages within seconds, but federal investigators were able to recover the material. A grand jury charged May with distributing 10 separate videos of child exploitation.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted May’s guilty plea earlier this year. He now faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, along with fines up to $250,000 and lifetime supervision as a registered sex offender following his release.
Officials credited the conviction to joint efforts by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
