New Hampshire’s first transgender state representative has been charged with distributing child sexual abuse images.
Democrat Stacie-Marie Laughton, 39, was arrested on Wednesday and arraigned in Hillsborough Superior Court the following day on several counts of distribution.
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Laughton opted to waive the arraignment, meaning the judge did not read the charges brought against her.
Additionally, Laughton’s girlfriend, Lindsay Groves, 38, was also arrested on the same day on one count of sexual exploitation of children, and one count of distribution of child pornography. Groves was working at a daycare called Creative Minds located in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts at the time stands accused of taking pictures of the children in her care.
Investigators discovered 2,500 text messages between Groves and one individual that included the photos.
Laughton has a criminal history dating back to 2021, which included counts of providing false information to 911. Previous unknown felony convictions precluded Laughton from taking office in 2012, but she was again elected in the same year, until she stepped down from office after her fellow Democratic lawmakers called for the representative’s resignation.
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Sexual exploitation of children convictions carry a sentence of at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Distribution of child pornography convictions have a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years including up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
