New Hampshire Supreme Court justice takes plea deal after accusations of influencing husband’s probe

CONCORD N H AP A New Hampshire Supreme Court justice pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor Tuesday after facing charges that she tried to interfere with a criminal research into her husband who ran the state s division of ports and harbors State Supreme Court Associate Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi was indicted in October by a Merrimack County grand jury for two felonies and five misdemeanors Under a plea deal approved by a judge on Tuesday those charges were dismissed and Marconi pleaded no contest to criminal solicitation of misuse of position which is a misdemeanor Marconi had been accused of soliciting then-Republican Gov Chris Sununu to influence the attorney general s probe into her husband telling him that the assessment was the outcome of personal petty and or political biases According to the indictment she advised Sununu there was no merit to the statements and that any review into her husband needed to be wrapped up expeditiously because she was recused from key cases pending before the court Functionaries have not disclosed the nature of that probe but Marconi s husband Geno Marconi has been charged with interfering with it by deleting voicemails and providing confidential motor van records to a third party Geno Marconi the director of the New Hampshire Division of Ports and Harbors faces two felony charges witness tampering and falsifying evidence and four misdemeanors of obstructing governing body administration and violating driver privacy Bradley Cook chair of the port division s advisory council also was charged with perjury and false swearing and is accused of lying to a grand jury about Marconi Justice Marconi has been on administrative leave since July Geno Marconi has been on paid leave since April No person is above the law and the evidence in this affair required scrutiny and presentation to the grand jury New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella commented at the time of Justice Marconi s indictment The decision to charge a sitting Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court was not made lightly and it comes after careful and thoughtful deliberation It is my hope that the masses will be reassured that all individuals including populace authorities are treated equally under the law he added According to court documents Marconi will pay fine for pleading no contest and state prosecutors will agree that her offense does not fall under the definition a serious crime Source