USA: Federal prosecutors revealed this week that the first openly transgender lawmaker in New Hampshire is accused of plotting with her ex-girlfriend to collect pornographic images of children.

"Stacie Marie Laughton, 39, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was charged with one count of aiding and abetting sexual exploitation of children. Laughton will show up in federal court in Boston at a later time, according to a statement released on Tuesday by the US Attorney's office.

After a forensic investigation turned up more than 10,000 texts between Laughton and her ex-partner Lindsay Groves, a former daycare worker, that contained explicit descriptions of sex with each other and sexually explicit pictures of children between the ages of three and five, Laughton was arrested.

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Grovers took the pictures between May and June 2022 while working at the Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, daycare center Creative Minds. Last month, she was detained and accused of sexually exploiting children and distributing child pornography. Such crimes are punishable by up to 30 years in prison.  

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The first openly transgender person to be elected to the chamber was American politician and Democratic Party member Stacie-Marie Laughton in 2012. Before accepting the seat, she resigned from her position as a State Representative after media reports revealed her prior conviction for identity fraud and fabricating evidence. After being accused of stalking Groves, Laughton resigned in December after running again in 2020 and winning reelection in 2022.

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