Transgender ex-lawmaker pleads guilty to child sex abuse charges
Stacie-Marie Laughton, a former New Hampshire lawmaker who is believed to be the first elected openly transgender lawmaker in U.S. history, recently pleaded guilty to child sex abuse charges in federal court.
According to WMUR, the 41-year-old ex-politician recently entered her plea in a Boston federal courtroom. The charges included sexual exploitation of children involving child sexual abuse materials.
Laughton, who authorities identify using feminine pronouns, is accused of working with her ex-girlfriend Lindsay Groves to exploit children at a daycare center called Creative Minds in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts.
Groves, a former employee of the daycare center, took nude photographs of children and sent them to Laughton in 2022, while Laughton served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
According to an affidavit filed that year, authorities said that Groves took four photos of children under the age of 5.