Robert John May, III, a 38-year-old former state lawmaker from West Columbia, has pleaded guilty to five counts of distributing child sexual abuse material. The charges stem from an investigation into activities that occurred over several days in March and April 2024.
Bryan Stirling, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, stated: “The conduct May pleaded guilty to represents some of the most depraved and exploitative conduct we investigate. Our office will bring every resource available to protect children from violence and abuse. This prosecution was made possible through excellent law enforcement coordination between Homeland Security Investigations, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and all those who work to protect the most vulnerable in our society.”
Court documents show that a tip sent by Kik, a social media platform, to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led authorities to investigate an account with the username “joebidennnn69.” Over a five-day period, this account distributed videos depicting child sexual abuse 50 times to other Kik users. Further investigation connected this activity to May’s home IP address and mobile device.
Records indicate that the Kik account accessed May’s home Wi-Fi network at least 958 times and his cell phone 67 times during the relevant period. Forensic analysis of May’s phone found evidence tying him directly to the account, including use of the same email address for registration and deletion of related messaging applications within seconds of each other on April 4, 2024. Investigators also discovered that May received more than 450 alerts from Kik while using this account.
A federal grand jury charged May with distributing 10 videos depicting child sexual abuse. Evidence showed correlations between conversations on the Kik account and internet activity on May’s devices. Both May and the user of the Kik account used the pseudonym Eric Rentling.
May faces a minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and could serve up to 20 years. He may also be fined up to $250,000, required to pay restitution, subject to up to lifetime supervision following imprisonment, and must register as a sex offender upon release.
United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted May’s guilty plea; sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2026 after review by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with state agencies including the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Matthews, Elliott B. Daniels, Dean Secor, and Austin M. Berry from the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting.
The terminology “child sexual abuse material” is preferred over “child pornography” as it better describes both what is depicted in such images or videos as well as its impact on victims.
