COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) - This week on Connect to the Capitol we look at the arrest of Republican state lawmaker, RJ May, who is charged with 10 counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children.

May was arrested at his Lexington County home after a lengthy investigation and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial.

The House Republican and co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus is accused of using the screen name"joebidennnn69" to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024.

Each charge carries a five-to-20 year prison sentence upon conviction and prosecutors suggested May, 38, could spend over a decade in prison if found guilty.

The files were uploaded and downloaded using May's home Wi-Fi network and his cellphone, prosecutors said. Some were hidden by the use of a private network but others were directly linked to his internet addresses.

At his arraignment in federal court on Thursday, May's lawyer suggested someone could have used the Wi-Fi password that was shown on a board behind a photo May's wife may have posted online.

House Speaker Murrell Smith suspended May from his duties in the South Carolina House on Thursday.

Prosecutors also said Thursday they investigated whether May used a fake name to travel to Colombia three times after finding videos on his laptop of him allegedly having sex with three women. An Department of Homeland Security agent testified the women appeared to be underage and were paid.

People on both sides of the political aisle have spoken about the disturbing nature of the charges.

State Attorney General Alan Wilson saying this:

The federal judge denied bond and he will remain in custody until trial. This case was investigated by our federal partners, HIS, and the U.S Attorney’s Office, who are members of the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Not all cyber tips are handled directly by the SC Attorney General's Office specifically, as in this case, where there were multiple defendants and victims across state and international borders. Let me be clear: absolutely no one is above the law. I have dedicated my career to protecting children and anyone who exploits them deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

MINDING THE STATE'S MONEY

A state senator is suing his fellow lawmakers in the General Assembly saying they are illegally giving themselves what is effectively an $18,000-a-year raise for all members.

The increase in the "in-district compensation" - money set aside for legislative duties that has few limits on how it can be spent - is set to go from $1,000 a month to $2,500 a month for all 46 senators and 124 House members starting July 1.

But Republican Sen. Wes Climer's lawsuit said the raise violates the state constitution, which bans the legislature from increasing their per diem during their term. House members would get 18 months of the extra money and senators would get more than three years of payments before facing reelection.

Climer is asking the South Carolina Supreme Court to determine if the move is constitutional.

"This is not the way to do it. It violates the principle that the legislature cannot take the people's money and appropriate it to themselves in real time," said Climer at a news conference. "If there is to be a pay raise, the pay raise can only take affect after the people by the way of election have had an opportunity to decide who gets that pay raise and who does not."

His lawsuit compares the move to asking a judge to preside over his own trial or a police officer to investigate himself.

CITY OF COLUMBIA COULD LOSE STATE FUNDING

In the city of Columbia, an ordinance approved in 2021 that bans conversion therapy practices aimed at changing an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity has also been under the microscope.

The move was pushed by several national and state groups that would keep licensed therapists from performing therapy that would alter sexual orientation, gender identity, behaviors, or expressions, or reduce same-sex attractions.

This spring, the state attorney general called for a repeal of this ordinance, citing state law that limits local governments' ability to regulate healthcare. Lawmakers also added a proviso to this year's budget that would cut local government funding to municipalities that fail to repeal conversion therapy bans across the state.

Columbia city council deferred voting on the repeal in late May. The move could cost the city nearly $4 million in local government funding from the state.

Columbia's first-term city council member Aditi Bussells will be in the studio to talk about that issue and the shifting make-up of Columbia's leadership.