Former state rep, Laconia candidate pleads guilty to child sex crimes

Former New Hampshire State Rep. Stacie-Marie Laughton, 41, of Nashua, pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, to three charges of sexual exploitation of children, in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. 

Laughton is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 12.

Lindsay Groves, 40, of Hudson, also pleaded guilty on Oct. 14, to three charges of sexual exploitation of children, and one charge of distributing child pornography. Groves is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 4.

A former employee of a day care in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, Groves is Laughton’s former intimate partner, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts. 

Groves and Laughton were charged in June and July of 2023, respectively, and were both indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023.

Groves was employed at Creative Minds in Tyngsborough, and, between May 2022 and June 2023, took nude images of children at the day care and apparently sent those images to Laughton. Prosecutors say she used natural bathroom breaks for the children — including routine diaper or pull-up changes prior to nap time — to take photos of the children in a private bathroom, and then sent the photos as text messages to Laughton.

A forensic review of their cellphones revealed more than 10,000 text messages between them during an approximate one-month period in 2023. Those messages included discussion about and transfer of explicit photographs taken by Groves of children while employed at the day care. The tranche included at least four sexually explicit images of children approximately 3 to 5 years old. 

All minor victims have been identified, and their families were contacted by law enforcement. 

Laughton has ties to the Lakes Region.

Laughton was the first transgender person to win election to a seat in the New Hampshire Legislature, representing Hillsborough County. Hailing originally from Nashua, Laughton moved to Laconia in 2003, and ran for Laconia City Council in 2005. 

The next year, Laughton lost an election for the at-large seat on the Laconia School District board to Marge Kerns, at that time the incumbent. In 2009, Laughton lost another city council election to Henry Lipman in Ward 3. In 2010, Laughton lost a Democratic primary race for a Statehouse seat, representing Laconia. 

In 2022, Laughton, then 38, resigned from the state Legislature — Laughton represented Nashua’s Ward 4 — after being arrested on a warrant issued by police in Hudson for stalking allegations.

Charges of sexual exploitation of children provides for a sentence of at least 15 and up to 30 years in prison, at least 5 years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least 5 and up to 20 years in prison, at least 5 years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes.

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke shared news of the plea. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office; and the Hudson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica L. Soto and Anne Paruti of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.