South Carolina lawmaker awaiting trial on child sex abuse material charges resigns from office

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina Republican lawmaker in jail awaiting trial on charges he distributed sexual abuse material involving children has resigned his seat in the state House.

RJ May's resignation letter was dated Thursday but didn't arrive at the offices of House leadership until Monday morning.

May wrote that “it is in the best interests of my family and constituents to resign immediately.” It does not mention the 10 charges he faces or the more than a decade in prison that prosecutors have suggested May could face if convicted.

The return address on the letter was May's Lexington post office box. He is currently being held at the Edgefield County jail without bond as he awaits trial as soon as next month.

May's federal public defender did not respond to an email Monday.

The three-term Republican is accused of using the screen name “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.

The files were uploaded and downloaded using May’s home Wi-Fi network and his cellphone, prosecutors said. Some were hidden by the use of a private network but others were directly linked to his internet addresses.

At his arraignment, May’s lawyer suggested someone could have used the Wi-Fi password that was shown on a board behind a photo May’s wife may have posted online.

Each of the 10 charges carries a five-to-20-year prison sentence upon conviction.

Calls for May's resignation were nearly unanimous in the South Carolina House, including members who were most closely aligned with May as he helped found the Freedom Caucus of the chamber's most conservative members. The House Ethics Committee last month started an investigation that appeared to be the first step in trying to kick May out of the House.

May worked as a political consultant. He was elected in 2020 and in his five years in the House upset many mainstream Republicans as he continued to run campaigns for people looking to knock out incumbents in GOP primaries.

The timing of May's resignation should allow his replacement to be chosen in a special election before the 2026 General Assembly session starts in January.