Grand Jury Indicts New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Over Allegations Of Case Interference

Authored by Stephen Katte via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly trying to interfere in an open investigation of her husband.

In an Oct. 16 statement from the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Attorney General John Formella said the Merrimack County Grand Jury had indicted Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi for two felonies and five misdemeanors.

All the charges relate to her alleged attempts to interfere with the criminal investigation into her husband, Geno Marconi.

“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,” Formella said.

“No person is above the law, and the evidence in this case required investigation and presentation to the grand jury.”

According to the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Hantz Marconi has been charged with two Class B felonies, one count of attempt to commit improper influence, and one count of criminal solicitation of improper influence.

She is also charged with five Class A misdemeanors, two counts of criminal solicitation of misuse of position, one count of criminal solicitation of official oppression, one count of official oppression, and one count of obstructing government administration.

One of the indictments accuses Hantz Marconi of trying to solicit New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu to “improperly influence a member and/or members” of the New Hampshire Department of Justice while they were investigating her husband, who served as director for the New Hampshire Division of Ports and Harbors.

She allegedly told the governor that the investigation was the result of “personal, petty and/or political biases.” She also allegedly said to Sununu that the investigation into her husband “needed to wrap up quickly because she was recused from important cases pending or imminently pending before the New Hampshire Supreme Court.”

A conviction for a Class B felony is punishable by three to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $4,000. A Class A misdemeanor carries a sentence of up to 12 months behind bars and a fine of up to $2,000.

At this stage, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said the investigation is complete and no one else has been accused of wrongdoing.

The State Department of Justice also said that “the charges in these indictments are only allegations, and Justice Hantz Marconi is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

Hantz Marconi has been on paid leave from the Supreme Court since July. Her husband has been on leave since April and is the subject of an investigation by Attorney General John Formella. The exact nature of the investigation has not been shared publically, and Geno Marconi has not been charged with any crime.

Attorneys for Hantz Marconi have said their client is innocent and hasn’t violated any rules or laws. In a court filing, they plan to push for the charges to be dismissed.

“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’s attorneys said.

“We intend to fight these wrongful accusations in court, where the fight should occur, and not in the media.”

The Epoch Times contacted the New Hampshire Department of Justice and Hantz Marconi for comment but received no replies by publication time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.