Transgender ex-lawmaker, first in state's history, pleads guilty to federal child sex abuse charges

Stacie-Marie Laughton, a former New Hampshire state representative long known for being the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature in the United States, has pleaded guilty to federal child sex abuse charges. The plea was entered in a Boston federal court, where prosecutors detailed accusations involving the sexual exploitation of children and the possession of child sexual abuse material.

According to reports from WMUR, the 41-year-old former lawmaker admitted to charges connected to a scheme involving her ex-girlfriend, Lindsay Groves. Groves had worked at Creative Minds, a daycare center in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. Investigators say that in 2022, while employed at the daycare, Groves took nude photos of children under the age of five and sent them to Laughton. At the time, Laughton was serving in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Federal filings describe a disturbing pattern of communication between the two. Authorities say Laughton and Groves exchanged thousands of text messages during the period when the images were shared, and investigators allege that Laughton expressed sexual interest in the children pictured.

Laughton’s political career has long been accompanied by controversy. Her election in 2012 was celebrated by many as a milestone for transgender representation, but she quickly announced she would not take office after revelations about past felony credit-card fraud. Attempts to run again in 2014 were rejected by state officials due to her suspended sentence. Nevertheless, she returned to politics and successfully ran for the New Hampshire House again in 2020, representing Nashua’s Ward 3 until 2022.

Her most recent resignation followed an unrelated arrest for stalking. The newly revealed child exploitation case marks the most serious of her legal troubles and ends a decade marked by both historic recognition and repeated criminal allegations.

Source: FOX NEWS