“The first openly trans lawmaker pleads guilty to child sex charges involving kids as young as 3-years old.”
BOSTON — A claim circulating widely on social media that “the first openly trans lawmaker” has pleaded guilty to child sex charges refers to Stacie-Marie Laughton, a former New Hampshire state representative who pleaded guilty in federal court to child sexual exploitation charges stemming from sexually explicit images taken at a Massachusetts day care, according to prosecutors.
Laughton, a Democrat from Nashua who was widely described as the first openly transgender person elected to a U.S. state legislature after winning a 2012 New Hampshire House race, pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2025 to three counts of sexual exploitation of children, the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts said. Laughton served in the New Hampshire House from 2020 to 2022 after returning to office years later.
Prosecutors said the case involved Laughton’s former partner, Lindsay Groves, a day care worker in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, who took sexually explicit photos of children at the facility and sent them to Laughton. Federal investigators said at least four images involved children who appeared to be about 3 to 5 years old, an age range that has been repeatedly cited in court filings and news coverage.
Groves pleaded guilty earlier, on Oct. 14, 2025, to three counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distributing child pornography, prosecutors said.
According to the Justice Department’s 2023 charging announcement, a preliminary forensic review of Groves’ cellphone found more than 10,000 text messages between the two that included discussion about and transfer of explicit photographs, along with explicit descriptions involving children.
Laughton was scheduled for sentencing in February 2026, with prosecutors noting the charges carry potential penalties of up to 30 years in prison per count, along with supervised release and fines.
