RJ May charged with failing to pay SC income tax. Here’s what we know.
Former state Rep. RJ May was charged for failing to pay his South Carolina individual income taxes for three years by the state Department of Revenue on Thursday.
He owes the state $14,637, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department of Revenue.
May pleaded guilty in federal court to five counts of distributing child pornography in September, and he is currently being held in the Edgefield County Detention Center, awaiting sentencing. Now, he faces three state counts for failing to pay his taxes on his $323,000 income, according to the news release.
The former Lexington County House representative did not pay his individual income taxes in 2022, 2023 or 2024, according to the news release. Each charge carries a one-year prison sentence and/or a $10,000 fee, if May is convicted.
May resigned from the House in August after he was taken into custody in June. He is scheduled to be sentenced for five counts of distributing child pornography in January, which could come with extensive prison time and fees.
A House Ethics committee investigation initially found May had not paid his state income taxes. He was under investigation for conduct unbecoming a member. State Rep. Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, filed the complaint June 12. Hiott asked for an investigation into May’s child sexual abuse material charges, in addition his political firm Ivory Tusk Consulting. Several members of the state’s Freedom Caucus, a hard-right coalition of lawmakers, used Ivory Tusk Consulting for their campaigns.
During the investigation, the state Department of Revenue was unable to locate tax filings, or requests for an extension, from May in 2022, 2023 or 2024, the report said. The agency also could not find tax records for Ivory Tusk, which made more than $600,000 over three election cycles, the investigation found.
The investigation’s findings were published Thursday.
This story is breaking and will be updated
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM.