Transgender Lawmaker Sentenced for Child Exploitation

The first transgender lawmaker elected to a state Legislature received a 33-year prison sentence for child exploitation. This came after it was revealed that she persuaded a former partner to take explicit photographs of their children at a daycare facility.

Stacey Marie Lawton, a man who identifies as a woman, is facing a long prison term following the involvement of his ex-partner, Lindsey Groves, who took nude images of their children, ages 3 to 5, during bathroom breaks and diaper changes at the nursery where she was employed. Text messages exchanged between Groves and Lawton—over 10,000 in just one month of 2023—included discussions about and sharing explicit photos of their children.

Lawton was first elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2012 but later withdrew, citing felonies linked to a 2008 credit card fraud case. He subsequently intended to become a minister and served in the House of Commons from 2020 to 2022.

In November 2025, Lawton pleaded guilty to three counts of child sexual exploitation, and now he’s facing a hefty prison term. Groves also admitted to her charges in October 2025—three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distributing child pornography, receiving a nearly 22-year prison sentence.

A prosecutor referred to the actions as “abhorrent,” emphasizing in a sentencing memo that the children involved were not yet fully potty trained and didn’t possess full verbal abilities. The memo further stated, “This was not a ‘crime of opportunity’ in the sense we would normally think of; this was planned, strategic and carried out for the sexual gratification of one or both of the defendants.”