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Transgender and former Democrat lawmaker pleads guilty in child exploitation case.Stacie-Marie Laughton, 41, has pleaded guilty to three federal counts of sexual exploitation of children.According to court documents, investigators say Laughton’s former partner, Lindsay Groves, who worked at Creative Minds daycare in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, secretly took nude photos of children between the ages of 3 and 5 during bathroom breaks and sent them to Laughton.Authorities say investigators recovered more than 2,500 text messages between the two, with court filings describing disturbing conversations involving young children.Groves has also pleaded guilty in connection with the case.Laughton faces 15 to 30 years in federal prison if given the maximum sentence.