A former New Hampshire state representative, who is transgender, has been sentenced to over 33 years in federal prison for receiving nude images of children from a Massachusetts daycare.
Stacie Marie Laughton, 41, from Nashua, pleaded guilty to charges of sexual exploitation of children, resulting in a sentence exceeding three decades, as reported by local outlet WCVB.
The illicit images were sent to Laughton by Lindsay Groves, 40, from Hudson, New Hampshire, who had been her former intimate partner. Groves was sentenced to 22 years in prison earlier this month.
Groves, who admitted guilt to three counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distributing child pornography, was employed at Creative Minds daycare in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. This information was confirmed by the US Attorneyâs Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Between May 2022 and June 2023, authorities reported that Groves took several photos of young children in a private bathroom during diaper and pull-up changes before nap time.
The photos were then sent to Laughton via text messages, according to the US Attorneyâs Office.
Investigations revealed that Laughton and Groves exchanged over 10,000 text messages within a month in 2023.
Court documents indicated these texts contained discussions and transfers of explicit images of children, including victims as young as 3 to 5 years old.
The US Attorneyâs Office confirmed that the children involved were identified, and their families have been informed by law enforcement.
Hillsborough County jail officials have confirmed to NH Journal that Laughton is being held in the male population.
Both Creative Minds Early Learning Center and the US Attorneyâs Office did not immediately reply to requests for comments from Fox News Digital.
