Former New Hampshire State Representative and Massachusetts Daycare Worker Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Child Exploitation

BOSTON - A New Hampshire woman, formerly employed at a daycare in Tyngsborough, Mass., and her former intimate partner have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for child exploitation and child pornography charges.

Lindsay Groves, 41, of Hudson, N.H., was sentenced on June 2, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 262 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Stacie Marie Laughton, 42, of Nashua, N.H., a former New Hampshire State Representative, was sentenced on June 18, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 400 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October and November of 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children. Groves also pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.

Groves and Laughton were arrested and charged by criminal complaint in June 2023 and July 2023, respectively. They were both subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023.

"Parents rely on daycare centers to provide safe, nurturing and heathy environments for their children. These defendants exploited parents' trust in the most egregious way imaginable. All to satisfy their disgusting prurient interests. The victims in this case were toddlers - children who were not yet old enough to care for themselves and, in some cases, not even fully verbal. Everyone who learns about the conduct in this case should be outraged. The defendants striped these children of their innocence - something that can never be undone," said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. "The sentences imposed reflect the depravity of the conduct and the seriousness of the crimes. My office will seek the most serious charges and the stiffest sentences for anyone who preys on children."

"This is one of the most abhorrent and disturbing crimes ever investigated by this office. It represents a profound violation of trust and the safety of vulnerable children. Groves and Laughton exploited their positions and betrayed the trust of parents and the community," said Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. "There are few crimes more disturbing than the sexual assault of a child, and no person more disturbing than one who stands accused of preying upon the most innocent members of our communities. HSI New England will continue to prioritize public safety by working tenaciously to remove child sex predators from our New England neighborhoods."

Groves worked at Creative Minds located in Tyngsborough, Mass. Between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves took nude images of children at the daycare and sent the photos to Laughton, with whom she was previously in an intimate relationship. Specifically, Groves used natural bathroom breaks for the children (routine diaper/pull-up changes prior to "naptime") to take multiple photos of the prepubescent children in a private bathroom and then sent the photos to Laughton via text message at Laughton's request.

Forensic review of Grove's and Laughton's cellphones revealed over 10,000 text messages between them during an approximate one-month period in 2023. These messages included discussion about, and transfer of, explicit photographs that Groves had taken of children while employed at Creative Minds - including at least four sexually explicit images of children who appear to be approximately three to five years old.

All minor victims involved in this matter have been identified and their families have been contacted by law enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Foley, HSI Acting SAC Grimming and Nashua (N.H.) Police Chief Kevin Rourke made the announcement today. Valuable 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, N.H. Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica L. Soto and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division prosecuted 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, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.