New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly attempting to influence Gov. Chris Sununu to help curtail an investigation into her husband, the state’s longtime Port Authority director.
According to court paperwork released Wednesday, Hantz Marconi allegedly contacted Sununu, who nominated her to the bench in 2017, to ask him to intervene in an ongoing investigation by the state Department of Justice into Geno Marconi, who was placed on administrative leave from his position in April.
Geno Marconi has not yet been charged with any crimes, though a grand jury has been convened in Rockingham County to investigate his activities.
Hantz Marconi was placed on administrative leave from the court in late July with no public explanation, and has not been hearing cases.
In a statement released Wednesday, her lawyers said she did not violate any state rules or laws, and that “we will fight the charges to the fullest extent permitted by the law, starting with motions to dismiss the case which we anticipate filing soon.”
Hantz Marconi is facing seven charges, including two felonies for attempting to commit improper influence and criminal solicitation. According to court paperwork, Hantz Marconi contacted Sununu on or around June 6. It isn’t clear if that contact was over the phone or in person, or who else may have been present during the conversation.
In that conversation, Hantz Marconi allegedly told Sununu that “there was no merit to allegations” against her husband, and that the investigation “needed to wrap up quickly because [Hantz Marconi] was recused from important cases” before the New Hampshire Supreme Court, according to court papers filed by the state Department of Justice.
Sununu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In April, Marconi also allegedly contacted Steve Duprey, the chair of the Pease Development Authority, which has oversight over the state’s ports. (Duprey is a member of the NHPR’s Board of Directors, but has no influence over the station’s coverage.)
A spokesperson for the New Hampshire Supreme Court also declined to issue a statement on the accusations against Hantz Marconi, one of five justices. The Supreme Court placed Marconi on a 90-day leave on July 26, but noted in a court order that it could lengthen that suspension from her duties.
“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,” Attorney General John Formella said in a statement. “It is my hope that the public will be reassured that all individuals, including public officials, are treated equally under the law.”
Marconi is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 21 in Merrimack County Superior Court.
