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A suspended South Carolina lawmaker and former political strategist has spent nearly two months in jail as he awaits trial on child pornography (a.k.a. child sex abuse material) charges. As he sits behind bars, monitored messages show he’s tallying up which former clients still owe him money for political consulting.
State representative Robert “RJ” May III, a co-founder and former vice chairman of the S.C. Freedom Caucus, was indicted in June for allegedly distributing more than 220 child sexual abuse videos over a five-day span using his cell phone and an online alias: ‘joebidennnn69.’
According to a later motion (.pdf) filed by prosecutors, those videos included the rape of infants and toddlers, as well as other sexually exploitative acts involving children the same age as May’s preadolescent son and daughter.
The same filing stated authorities launched their investigation during the final stretch of South Carolina’s 2024 Republican primary season, when May was managing and assisting multiple campaigns via his political consulting firm, Ivory Tusk Consulting.
Neither May nor his Freedom Caucus allies learned of the federal probe until weeks after the primary election – when FITSNews reported that authorities had executed a federal search warrant at his West Columbia, S.C. home on August 5, 2024.
More than 30 electronic devices were seized that morning, after which May slipped into indefinite silence. Despite initial reports, May coasted to reelection against only a write-in challenger – and then attended every day of the 2025 legislative session (albeit it in noticeably baggier suits).
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RELATED | POLITICAL TIES & HARD DRIVES: THE FALL OF RJ MAY III
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Rather than distance themselves from May, Freedom Caucus members – including chairman Jordan Pace – dodged questions about May’s status with the group, telling reporters there was “no reason to exclude him” and, with a smirk, asking why they were inquiring.
In the days that followed, co-vice chair Josiah Magnuson took to Facebook, writing that May remained “a member of the Freedom Caucus and a duly elected representative,” adding that he would not rush to judgment like “so many others” unless formal charges were filed.
The ambiguity surrounding May’s membership only deepened during a June 2025 forum, where Freedom Caucus co-vice chair Rep. April Cromer referred to the federal raid on his home as “alleged” — then claimed he had not been part of the caucus since the day of that very raid.
The caucus’ stance shifted just eight days later, however, when FITSNews observed state and federal agents double-cuffing May outside his home on June 11, 2025. Beth May, his wife of nine years, stood nearby as May was taken into custody.
“The (SCFC) stands firmly on the rule of law and the protection of children,” Pace said in a statement after May’s arrest. “We call for his immediate resignation from the House… These crimes are heinous and we expect that they will be fully investigated.”
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“I MISS MY FAMILY DEARLY…”
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May was transported to the Lexington County Detention Center on June 11, where public records indicate (.pdf) he placed no phone calls and received no visitors, spending his first night in custody exactly one year after his decisive primary win.
The following morning, May’s attorney – Dayne Phillips – proceeded with his client’s detention hearing, which featured graphic testimony from a federal investigator. That testimony – paired with the severity of the charges against May — led U.S. magistrate Shiva V. Hodges to remand May into custody pending trial.
After a brief transfer through another facility (.pdf), May now wears a red jumpsuit inside the Edgefield County Detention Center — a medium-security jail where he claims to work out three times a day, write to stay mentally sharp and continue researching a case he insists “doesn’t make sense.”
“i [sic] wish i could tell (Beth) and you and anyone else more but they monitor ever convo, call, message,” May wrote in a tablet message to his sister on July 5, 2025. “20 years of data and not a single fragment, let alone a file.”
Listed as a “high-profile” inmate, May appears to be navigating a world far removed from the S.C. State House — sharing space with a 27-year-old charged with murder and, at one point, placing a call on behalf of a 48-year-old facing attempted murder charges.
“(T)urns our growing up in Newport News does come in handy,” May wrote, potentially referencing their tumultuous childhood in Virginia. “Guy in her(e)… was surprised it was my first time. he said he thought i had multiple years under my belt by the way i move.”
These raw, unfiltered insights come from nearly 90 tablet messages and five recorded jail calls, obtained by FITSNews through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
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?? REP. RJ MAY CLAIMS FORMER FREEDOM CAUCUS ALLIES OWE HIM THOUSANDS, JAIL RECORDS SHOW
— Andrew Fancher (@RealAndyFancher) August 4, 2025
? Edgefield County Detention Center
Suspended Rep. Robert “RJ” May III claims multiple members of the S.C. Freedom Caucus (#SCFC) owe him anywhere from “a few grand” to $25,000 for campaign… pic.twitter.com/TSR2AM56zH
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“i miss my family dearly and cry every time i think about them,” May wrote in a particularly reflective message to his sister, noting he had finished the entire New Testament and was now working through the Old Testament, which he admitted was “hard reading when compared.”
Citing Proverbs 17:17, he continued: “a friend loves at all times, but a brother (sister) is born for adversity. fitting. i love yall. dont worry about me, im holding up. yall take care of yourselfs. i know this is hard for everybody.”
Although May was booked into Edgefield County on June 13, 2025, his first recorded conversation didn’t occur until nine days later — just before he appeared in federal court without representation for an attorney status hearing.
As those initial messages and phone calls revealed, May was weighing the cost of hiring Columbia-based defense attorney Aimee Zmroczek while leaning on the legal guidance of Freedom Caucus member — and civil attorney — Ryan McCabe.
First elected in 2020, McCabe paid Ivory Tusk at least $10,675 between August 2023 and January 2025 for holiday mailers and a single “consulting and polling reimbursement,” according to campaign disclosure forums.
“She wants 50 (thousand dollars),” May told McCabe during a recorded jail call prefaced as attorney-client privileged, referring to Zmroczek’s lowest fee. “We’re probably not coming to an agreement… I mean, I don’t think Beth is giving me any money, right?”
During that call — placed on the eve of May’s second federal court appearance — McCabe disclosed that Beth May had located “about fifteen (thousand dollars) in various accounts,” not including one of the costliest assets in RJ May’s name: a 2019 Ram 1500 he valued at around $30,000.
It’s unclear whether the accounts McCabe referenced are the same ones later mentioned by May’s sister, who cited two accounts labeled “May for House” and “S.C. Freedom Caucus,” one of which contained approximately $7,000.
“My gut says you might be better off with a federal public defender,” McCabe said.
“Alright,” May replied. “That way Beth and the kids can sell the (Ram) and have money if they need it.”
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“ON FREEDOM CAUCUS MONEY…”
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On June 24, May appeared in federal court without private counsel, seemingly taking McCabe’s advice to emphasize his lack of funds. After declaring he could no longer afford a private attorney, a federal public defender was appointed to his case.
Over the ensuing weeks — and up until the last message provided to FITSNews — May appeared to communicate exclusively with his sister, with the exception of a brief phone call to Greenwood attorney Rick Faulks, placed on behalf of inmate Jeffrey Gilmour.
“I’m not supposed to talk to you about any other client, and I’m respectfully not going to,” Faulks told May, noting the call was not protected by attorney-client privilege. “But, uh, if — if — Jeff Gilmour were my client, I would be doing what I told him I was going to do.”
Any relationship between May, Gilmour, and Faulks remains unclear.
Setting that aside, May’s sister appears to have traveled from out of state to South Carolina at least twice since his incarceration, serving as a liaison for Beth May, who – based on records provided to FITSNews – has not contacted May since his June arrest.
In one message forwarded by May’s sister, she quoted Beth May as saying: “I dont know if the quick books is essential for me to have access to his accounting to know who owes him what… Can you please ask him what he uses… and how I can view it and see invoices.”
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QuickBooks, a popular accounting software used to manage invoices and track payments, is what May said he used to handle billing for his consulting work.
Additional messages forwarded from Beth May included her noting that RJ May said the Freedom Caucus “owed him some money” and asking whether she “needed” to talk to McCabe or Pace about how to handle what was owed.
“(T)alk with Ryan (McCabe) on Freedom Caucus money,” May responded in early July. “i paid for robocalls and text for all candidates last cycle.”
After further discussion of financial items — including May’s Venmo, Robinhood, TurboTax, USAA and life insurance policies — the most detailed exchange came on July 7, when May’s sister sent him a list of names pulled from QuickBooks.
“Beth wants to know which ones she can mark off and which ones are still outstanding,” she wrote.
The list appeared to represent a handful of clients May invoiced from 2020 to the present — all conservative candidates or Republican-aligned entities, including the Darlington County GOP and one labeled “Education Rescue.”
“(O)h, wow,” May replied. “(L)et me think. stephen frank is the big one outstanding, for sure.”
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“I DOUBT HE PAYS…”
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Representative Stephen Frank, a freshman member of the S.C. House, was elected in November 2024 after former lawmaker Adam Morgan — a fellow Freedom Caucus co-founder — gave up the seat to pursue a failed congressional bid against incumbent William Timmons.
During one of Frank’s first televised appearances as a member of the Freedom Caucus, he stood behind Pace at the same November 2024 press conference where the chairman smirked when questioned about May’s caucus status.
A member of the S.C. House Education and Public Works Committee, Frank was embroiled in a brief controversy just two months into his term after responding to an X influencer by saying: “Im [sic] just happy we can say retard again.”
According to one of May’s tablet messages, “all of frank is due,” noting the freshman lawmaker owes $23,000 to Ivory Tusk Consulting.
“(M)ight have to file an ethics complaint,” May added.
Another name flagged by May was Vic Dabney — a retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot and former Freedom Caucus member who represented Kershaw County in the S.C. House from 2020 to 2022, drawing scrutiny in 2021 for remarks made about a proposed hate crime bill.
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Dabney employed May during both his successful 2020 campaign and his unsuccessful 2022 reelection bid. The incarcerated lawmaker claimed Dabney still owed Ivory Tusk $25,000, noting that about $2,000 was paid “a year or so ago.”
Dabney, who was notably accessible to the press and public during his tenure — a trait not shared by several of his former colleagues — answered our call on Friday and made no apologies for refusing to pay what May claimed was an outstanding balance.
“(May) didn’t lose any money on Vic Dabney,” the former lawmaker quipped, adding he spent around $30,000 on his 2022 campaign before what he called a “disaster” involving his mailers — high-cost political ads sent by the thousands to voters.
While mailers are typically delivered in carefully timed waves, Dabney said the rollout on the eve of the June 2022 primary was a complete failure — with some voters receiving three in one day and others getting four more, including duplicates, over just two days.
“Then, I started getting stacks of my own mailers returned to my P.O. box,” he said. “At that point, you might as well just throw them in the trash… I couldn’t get ahold of RJ, and then after the campaign he called and said I owed him around $20,000 for that? Yeah, not happening.”
Still, Dabney offered a personal reflection on May:
“RJ always appeared to be a great father and husband,” he said. “Every time I talked to him, he was doing something for his son: feeding him, putting him to bed, taking him to daycare, picking him up from daycare… almost overwhelmed being a daddy and a mommy to that boy.”
As if expecting the outcome, May told his sister via jail tablet: “i doubt (Dabney) pays. maybe he’ll settle.”
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“CRYING TO THE LORD…”
In addition to Frank and Dabney — whom May insisted owed him $48,000 in unpaid services — he claimed that none other than Pace “does owe” for campaign work, though he added, “not sure what invoice.”
First elected in 2020, Pace payed Ivory Tusk over $43,000 between December 2019 and November 2023 for various campaign services — including mailers, management, and design work — according to campaign disclosure forms.
May’s claim that Pace owed him money surfaced just days after the Freedom Caucus chairman formally urged the S.C. General Assembly to reconvene and consider “the immediate expulsion” of May from the House, according to a letter obtained by FITSNews.
Meanwhile, from inside the Edgefield County Detention Center, May further alleges that Morgan — currently under investigation by the S.C. State Ethics Commission over alleged campaign finance violations — owes Ivory Tusk “a few grand.”
In office from 2018 to 2024, Morgan used Ivory Tusk during at least the final quarter of 2023, paying nearly $10,140 for a series of town hall and Christmas mailers, according to campaign disclosure forums.
In May’s final allegation regarding unpaid political work, he claimed that former Sally, S.C. police chief and U.S. Marine Jarrod Goldman owed him $2,000 to $3,000 for “accounting work” tied to a failed bid for Aiken County sheriff in 2020.
Campaign disclosure records reviewed by FITSNews showed Goldman spent nearly $23,000 with Ivory Tusk during that election cycle — ultimately earning just 27% of the vote.
Likely to remain in custody until he goes to trial, May faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted — with one handwritten note on a government filing suggesting prosecutors are aiming for the maximum.
Originally from Newport News, Virginia, May studied at the American University of Dubai, graduated from the University of South Carolina, and earned a master’s degree in security and diplomacy from Tel Aviv University, where he was named a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.
In one of the last recorded exchanges released via FOIA, May told his sister: “nobody is contributing (to the jail commissary). im not talking with anyone. just you. i love you too. im glad your my sister.”
His last message provided to FITSNews came the following day — after she sent him Psalms 18:2–6, a passage about crying out to God in moments of distress and finding protection in His response: “thank you. ill read that a few times when i pray tonight,” May wrote.
“i am crying out to the lord,” he added. “and i know he hears me.”
Neither Frank, Pace, Morgan nor Goldman responded to a FITSNews call or voicemail — despite having the weekend to decline comment or send so much as a text.
This story may be updated.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
(Dynal Nolan/FITSNews)
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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