Feds Arrest South Carolina State Lawmaker RJ May – FITSNews

South Carolina state representative RJ May III – the focus of an ongoing federal child pornography investigation – was taken into custody by federal and state law enforcement agents on Wednesday afternoon (June 11, 2025) outside of his West Columbia, S.C. home.

May – clad in a white t-shirt and gym shorts – was handcuffed and placed in the black of a black Nissan Titan truck accompanied by a pair of Chevy Suburbans shortly before 5:00 p.m. EDT. The convoy departed from his neighborhood to whereabouts unknown.

May’s wife, Beth May, was present during her husband’s arrest – pacing the sidewalk outside their home and appearing to record or photograph what was transpiring on her cell phone.

News of May’s arrest was exclusively reported by FITSNews‘ Andy Fancher. It comes less than two weeks after we reported his arrest was “imminent.”

***

***

“According to sources familiar with its progression, criminal indictments against the conservative lawmaker are indeed ‘imminent’ – with May likely to be arrested and indicted on multiple counts related to this inquiry ‘before the end of spring,’” we reported on May 30.

May, 38, originally of Newport News, Virginia, is the former vice chairman and top political strategist of the S.C. Freedom Caucus. As of this writing, he is the elected representative for S.C. House District 88 in Lexington County. However, once May is indicted on a crime of “moral turpitude,” he will be automatically suspended from office per the S.C. Code of Laws § 8-13-560.

That suspension would last until May “is acquitted, convicted, pleads guilty, or pleads nolo contendere.”

In the event of a conviction, the office is declared vacant and a special election ensues. In the event of an acquittal or dismissal of charges, the official “is entitled to reinstatement and back pay.”

***

While a warrant for May’s arrest was reportedly issued on Wednesday afternoon (June 11, 2025), our media outlet has not obtained a copy of the document detailing the charges against him – nor has any law enforcement agency associated with the investigation advised us as to the date or time of an arraignment.

We have received conflicting reports on the timing of May’s arraignment on the charges he is facing, with some reports suggesting he could appear before a federal judge as soon as 10:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday (June 12, 2025).

As FITSNews first reported last summer, federal and state law enforcement agents descended upon May’s West Columbia, S.C. home on the morning of August 5, 2024. Upon arrival, they executed a search warrant in connection with an ongoing federal investigation into child sex abuse materials (CSAM, a.k.a. “child porn”).

Our media outlet subsequently confirmed the focus of the raid – and shortly thereafter confirmed that multiple devices had been seized in connection with it. We further confirmed that federal investigators with the special investigations unit (HSI) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were securing additional warrants which would enable them to search these devices.

***

RELATED | NANCY MACE SEEKS SANCTIONS OVER ‘ILLEGAL’ DEPOSITION

***

Assisting HSI in its inquiries were assets of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Weeks later, federal prosecutors acknowledged being in possession of “various electronics identified as one Lenovo laptop, one Amazon tablet, four cell phones, four hard drives, four SD cards, two DVD-Rs and nineteen thumb drives” which were “seized by agents of (HSI) on August 5, 2024.”

Once indicted, the presumption of innocence applies to May as it applies to all defendants. He is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.

This is a development story… please check back for updates.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.