N.H. lawmaker sentenced to 33 years for child exploitation

A former New Hampshire state representative has been sentenced to 33 years in federal prison for her role in a child exploitation scheme involving a Massachusetts daycare center. Stacie Marie Laughton, 42, who made history in 2012 as the first openly transgender person elected to a U.S. state legislature, was sentenced on Tuesday, June (date omitted), after pleading guilty last fall to three counts of aiding and abetting the illegal exploitation of children.

The case centered on Laughton's former intimate partner, Lindsay Groves, 40, who worked at the Creative Minds Early Learning Center in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. According to federal prosecutors, between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves abused her access to children at the daycare, taking explicit photographs of prepubescent children, some as young as three years old, during routine bathroom breaks and diaper changes. She then sent the images to Laughton via text message.

A forensic review of the pair's cellphones revealed more than 10,000 messages exchanged over approximately one month in 2023. Prosecutors described the messages as containing detailed, explicit discussions and coordination regarding the ongoing exploitation...