South Carolina State Rep. RJ May of Lexington County has been charged with 10 counts of distributing child sexual abuse material. The State newspaper reports the 38-year-old legislator is slated to be arraigned Thursday at the federal courthouse in Columbia. Prosecutors will ask that he be held without bond.
May was indicted earlier this week by a federal grand jury, and the indictment was unsealed Thursday morning.
The indictment says May, who was the driving force behind the creation of the state’s House Freedom Caucus, had a fake username to distribute at least 10 videos of child sexual abuse.
He was taken into custody Wednesday and faces between 5 and 20 years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000, and at least five years of supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment if convicted.
Hours after May's arrest, the SC House Freedom Caucus called for May to resign his House seat.