Congresswoman Nancy Mace Calls For The Harshest Punishment For Child Predators

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 14, 2026) -Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) released the following statement regarding the federal government's sentencing recommendation for former South Carolina State Representative RJ May, who pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material:

"RJ May admitted to distributing 220 child sexual abuse videos 479 times to over 100 offenders across 18 states and six countries. Federal prosecutors called him a 'hub' for child exploitation who 'showed no mercy toward the children he exploited.' He deserves no mercy in return.

"May stood on the floor of our State House, voting to punish the very crimes he was perpetrating in the shadows. He looked constituents in the eye while facilitating the abuse of innocent children. This level of depravity and hypocrisy demands the absolute maximum penalty allowed by law.

"Child predators like May forfeit their right to leniency. They forfeit their right to compassion. They forfeit their place in civilized society. South Carolina's justice system has failed victims for far too long by treating these heinous crimes with unacceptable softness. Every child whose innocence was stolen by May, and predators like him, deserves more than our sympathy, they deserve a system which ensures their abusers never see freedom again. Anything less is a betrayal of justice itself."

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