First trans state lawmaker in US slapped with federal charges for child sexual exploitation; DOJ calls him a 'woman'

The Justice Department announced Tuesday federal charges against Stacie Marie Laughton for child exploitation.

Laughton — a biological man who became the first transgender state lawmaker elected in the United States — was arrested in New Hampshire last month and charged with four counts of distribution of child sexual abuse images.

Several days later, a former intimate partner of Laughton's, Lindsay Groves, was arrested for allegedly taking photos of children's genitals at the day care where she worked. Those photos, in which she allegedly told children to conceal their faces with their shirts, were then sent to Laughton, according to federal prosecutors. Groves was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of distribution of child pornography.

Now, federal prosecutors are charging Laughton with one count of sexual exploitation of children and aiding and abetting.

The Justice Department explained in a press release:

According to the charging documents, a preliminary forensic review of Groves’ cellphone allegedly revealed over 10,000 text messages between Laughton and Groves that included discussion about, and transfer of, explicit photographs that Groves had taken of children while employed at Creative Minds daycare – including at least four sexually explicit images of children who appear to be approximately three to five years old, as well as explicit descriptions of sex with each other and others, including children.

Though he is a biological male, the DOJ referred to Laughton as a "New Hampshire woman."

The criminal complaint against Groves shows that she told "person 1," who is presumed to be Laughton, that, "I want to do this with you with one of my kids." In another exchange, "person 1" told Groves that nude pictures of a "little girl" were "f***ing hot" as she requested to "see more of the p***y."

If convicted, Laughton faces 15-30 years in prison. That's in addition to the decades of prison time he faces for the charges in New Hampshire.

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