COLUMBIA, S.C. – Robert John May, III, 38, of West Columbia, has admitted to a sickening crime: distributing child sexual abuse material. The former state lawmaker pleaded guilty to five counts, a descent into depravity that officials say demands the maximum punishment.
“The conduct May pleaded guilty to represents some of the most depraved and exploitative conduct we investigate,” stated Bryan Stirling, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Our office will bring every resource available to protect children from violence and abuse.” This wasn’t a case of accidental exposure; it was deliberate distribution, a calculated act of harm.
The investigation began with a tip from Kik, the social media platform, to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in May 2024. The tip flagged a Kik account, “joebidennnn69,” that had shared videos depicting the sexual abuse of children to other users a shocking 50 times over just five days in March and April. Investigators traced the account’s activity to May’s home IP address and mobile device. The evidence showed a staggering 479 distributions originating from the account, overwhelmingly linked to May’s home or cell phone.
The digital breadcrumbs were damning. Kik records showed the account connected to May’s home Wi-Fi 958 times and his cell phone 67 times. A forensic analysis of May’s phone revealed the username “joebidennnn” in the user dictionary and the same email address used to register the Kik account. Crucially, Kik, Telegram, Mega, and Sessions messenger – all apps referenced in Kik messages – were deleted from May’s phone within 20 seconds of each other on April 4, 2024, a clear attempt at covering his tracks. More than 450 alerts from Kik flooded May’s phone during the account’s active period, and internet searches and app downloads on his devices directly correlated with the content shared on “joebidennnn69.” Investigators also discovered May and the Kik account user shared the same pseudonym, Eric Rentling.
May now faces a minimum of five years in federal prison and a maximum of 20 years. He’s also looking at a potential fine of up to $250,000, restitution, lifetime supervised release, and mandatory sex offender registration upon release. This isn’t just about jail time; it’s about accountability for inflicting unimaginable harm on vulnerable children.
United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie accepted May’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for January 14, 2026, pending a pre-sentence report from the U.S. Probation Office. The case was a coordinated effort by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Matthews, Elliott B. Daniels, and Dean Secor, alongside Austin M. Berry of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, handling the prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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