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by JENN WOOD
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Federal prosecutors are urging U.S. district court judge Cameron McGowan Currie to sentence former South Carolina lawmaker Robert John “RJ” May III to twenty years in federal prison, arguing a guideline term is necessary to reflect the seriousness of his crimes, protect the public and “vindicate victim rights.”
May’s sentencing is scheduled for next Wednesday (January 14, 2026) at 10:00 a.m. EST at the Matthew J. Perry Jr. federal courthouse in Columbia.
In a sentencing memorandum filed on Friday (January 9, 2026), the government asked Currie to impose a 240-month sentence, followed by lifetime supervised release, and order $73,000 in restitution to eight victims who submitted requests.
The filing (.pdf) marks the latest milestone in a case that began with an August 2024 raid on May’s West Columbia home. The story detonated publicly with May’s June 2025 arrest, and culminated in a September 2025 guilty plea that spared him a jury trial but still leaves him facing decades behind bars.
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THE ALIAS…
According to prosecutors, the investigation started when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip from the messaging app Kik indicating an account with the username “joebidennnn69” uploaded child pornography files from an IP address tied to May’s West Columbia residence.
The memo tracks the same basic narrative previously laid out in court filings and testimony: local investigators and then Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) traced the Kik activity back to May, obtained a federal search warrant, and executed it on August 5, 2024, seizing a Samsung phone from May’s bedroom that he acknowledged was his.
In the government’s telling, the Kik returns revealed the “substantial scale” of May’s trafficking activity: 220 unique CSAM videos were allegedly sent 479 times, with 1,147 messages to more than 100 users in a five-day window between March 31 and April 4, 2024.
May ultimately pleaded guilty to five counts of distributing CSAM after federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining counts from his original indictment — bringing the case to the sentencing phase now set for next week in Columbia.
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WHAT THE FEDS WANT
The government’s bottom line is straightforward: a guideline sentence of 240 months, lifetime supervision, and restitution.
Prosecutors argued that any request for leniency should be rejected under the sentencing factors — particularly the nature and circumstances of the offense and the need to protect the public.
To support that position, the memorandum highlighted May’s alleged communications on Kik — arguing they reflect a fixation on very young victims and incest content. In one example cited from the presentence report (PSR), the memo recounts May responding to a request for ages “6–12” with: “Yeah. Isn’t that what I sent?”
The government also pointed to messages in which May allegedly indicated he had “lots younger” content when asked about depictions of high school-aged victims — using that to argue that “high school was too old” for him.
The memo further described May as seeking videos of children being abused by their parents, citing one file’s on-screen text as an example of the degradation involved.
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RELATED | FEDS PUSH BACK AGAINST RJ MAY’S COURT FILINGS
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COUNTING THE HARM
One of the more technical — yet potentially consequential — issues flagged in the filing is a dispute over guideline scoring for the “number of images” enhancement when the contraband is primarily video.
The government urged the court to apply the sentencing commission’s “75:1 rule,” a guideline commentary principle that treats each video as the equivalent of 75 images for scoring purposes. Prosecutors argued that rule is entitled to deference, reflects the commission’s “official position,” and, notably, benefits May by capping his exposure rather than counting “many thousands” of frames individually.
Even if the court were to disagree with the government on that guideline calculation, prosecutors argued the end result should not change — explicitly asking the judge to note that the same term would be imposed as a variance sentence under the §3553(a) factors.
The memorandum also asked Currie to order $73,000 in restitution payable to eight victims who submitted requests — an issue that is likely to draw attention at sentencing as courts continue grappling with the downstream harm caused by redistribution.
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RELATED | POLITICAL TIES AND HARD DRIVES: THE FALL OF RJ MAY
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MORE THAN DISTRIBUTION: THE GOVERNMENT’S AGGRAVATING CASE
Beyond the CSAM conduct, the memo included aggravating facts the government said reflected May’s “history and characteristics” and support a guideline sentence.
Among them: prosecutors reference videos found on a memory card that, according to the PSR narrative cited in the memo, depicted May having sex with three young women in Colombia — describing one clip in which a woman appears to resist and is slapped, and others in which women are shown crying or grimacing in pain. The government added that despite efforts involving agents “on the ground” in Colombia, investigators were unable to locate the women.
The filing also pointed to South Carolina House ethics investigative material referenced by prosecutors, stating that the Department of Revenue had no record of May filing income tax returns for multiple years and no record of his consulting business paying taxes — facts the government framed as evidence of a “persistent disregard for the law.”
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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
As noted, May’s sentencing in federal court in Columbia is scheduled for next Wednesday (January 14). At that hearing, Currie will consider the guideline calculations, restitution requests, victim impact submissions, and arguments from both sides before deciding how much time May will serve—along with the conditions that will follow him if and when he is released.
FITSNews will be in the courtroom to report developments.
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THE SENTENCING MEMORANDUM
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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2 comments
Amazing all the MAGA turds that want May put beneath the jail (he should be), but could care less that the Trump admin is hiding the Epstein files.
We haven’t seen such a fall from grace since Operation Lost Trust – and I’d say this surpasses that in terms of how noxious the crime was. I hope law enforcement chases down all the peripheral players too – not just the high-profile politicians.