Trans former NH state rep pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of children

Former New Hampshire state Rep Stacie Laughton has pleaded guilty to child sex offenses. Laughton, a trans-identified male, resigned from his role in the NH House of Representatives in 2022 after he was arrested for stalking in violation of a court order.

Laughton pleaded guilty in a Boston federal court on Monday to charges that include sexual exploitation of children. In October, Laughton’s partner, Lindsay Groves, confessed to taking explicit photos of young children and sending them to Laughton, per the Daily Mail. 

Groves, who worked at a Tyngsborough, Massachusetts daycare, had taken photos of nude children while they were napping and sent them to Laughton, who was in a romantic relationship with Groves at the time. 

Authorities said the photos were taken between May 2022 and June 2023, and contained at least four sexually explicit photos of children between the ages of three and five. The photos were accompanied by thousands of illicit discussions about the images. 

Laughton and Groves are set to be sentenced in February, and both could face up to three decades behind bars.

The affidavit stated that Groves "used natural bathroom breaks for the children," such as "routine diaper pull-up changes prior to naptime … to take multiple photos of the prepubescent children in a private bathroom and then sent the photos to the (former intimate partner) via text message."

Laughton has a criminal history dating back to 2002, when he was arrested for domestic violence/criminal mischief, and was arrested again in 2003 for a sexual assault charge against a woman. Laughton was arrested again in 2015 for making a bomb threat against Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, and arrested yet again in 2021 for misusing the state’s 911 texting system. 

Laughton was elected to represent Nashua, New Hampshire in the state House in 2020 and reelected in 2022, but resigned just weeks after the 2022 election over the stalking charge.