From Power Broker to Custody: Hardline SC Rep. RJ May Arrested Amid Explosive Federal Probe

Freedom Caucus Founder RJ May in federal custody since Wednesday

By Javar Juarez | Columbia Urban Broadcast Network

COLUMBIA, SC — Once a rising star in South Carolina’s far-right political orbit, State Rep. Robert “RJ” May of Lexington County now finds himself at the center of a potential federal storm. The 38-year-old founder of the South Carolina House Freedom Caucus and political firebrand behind the controversial Ivory Tusk consulting firm was taken into federal custody Wednesday afternoon, according to a source close to the investigation.

The arrest, shrouded in secrecy, is already sending shockwaves through the Statehouse and beyond.According to jail records briefly posted—and then removed—from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, May was being held on a “Hold for DUSM,” indicating custody by the Deputy U.S. Marshal, often a precursor to federal charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina, which has led an ongoing investigation into May since a 2023 raid on his West Columbia home, declined to comment. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has also remained tight-lipped.

But the public breadcrumbs paint a disturbing picture.

Agents seized a trove of digital evidence from May’s home on August 5, 2023, including four cell phones, four hard drives, 19 thumb drives, SD cards, DVDs, a laptop, and a tablet—devices commonly analyzed in cases involving child exploitation, human trafficking, and the illegal movement of money or technology, all areas under the jurisdiction of HSI.

May, a father of two and staunch proponent of “limited government,” has made his name by attacking fellow Republicans, branding them as “RINOs” and upending party orthodoxy. His political action committee, Ivory Tusk, helped bankroll a slate of insurgent conservative candidates—some of whom now hold office thanks to his strategic messaging and combative political style.

But now, the once-feared political operative is facing the kind of scrutiny no campaign ad can deflect.

While May was quietly suspended from his own Freedom Caucus in December, he continued to attend House sessions in 2025—though his signature bombast was absent. He rarely spoke, opting instead to sit silently at the back of the chamber, voting only when necessary. His detachment raised eyebrows, but few in the public knew how closely federal agents were watching.

May won reelection in November 2024 uncontested on the ballot, brushing off a write-in challenge. But now, his political career may be crumbling under the weight of a federal case that could shake the foundations of the very movement he helped build.

The silence from his attorney Dayne Phillips, as well as law enforcement, suggests the case is being treated with intense caution. Still, speculation is already rampant: Was this about campaign finance? Foreign money? Or something far more sinister buried inside the contents of those 19 thumb drives?

One thing is clear: the arrest of RJ May is not just a legal headline—it’s a political earthquake.

And South Carolina is waiting for the aftershocks.