You’ve got to see it to believe it — a convicted Supreme Court justice, back on the bench, grinning like nothing happened. In a scene that feels more like courtroom theater than actual justice, Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi returned to work just one week after being convicted of corruption. Not suspended. Not benched. Not even issuing a statement of remorse. Just waltzing back into court like it’s business as usual.
Let’s rewind. Hantz Marconi, 69, isn’t just any judge. She now holds the distinction of being the first convicted criminal to serve on New Hampshire’s highest court. Her offense?
Trying to influence a criminal investigation into her husband, Geno Marconi — the embattled Port Authority Director at the center of a bizarre turf war involving chowder, lobster, and alleged corruption on the New Hampshire seacoast.
And this isn’t some “misunderstood phone call” kind of case. We’re talking about a sitting Supreme Court justice allegedly trying to pull strings with the governor, telling Chris Sununu there was “no merit” to the investigation into her husband — a move so bold it left even the former governor visibly disturbed. According to prosecutors, this all traces back to June 2024 and a deepening scandal involving Geno and a long-running feud over Rye Harbor real estate.
Geno Marconi, dubbed the “lobster mobster” in local circles, is accused of strong-arming competition, intimidating rivals, and destroying evidence.
His family’s chowder shop allegedly benefited from some not-so-subtle pressure applied to a neighboring business, the Rye Harbor Lobster Pound — which is now suing him for extortion, corruption, and retaliation. One key piece of the case? Geno is accused of illegally obtaining DMV records of a Port Authority colleague who blew the whistle.
And yes, this gets more tangled. Geno allegedly schemed with Bradley Cook, a state official now facing perjury charges, to smear the whistleblower and cover their tracks. Meanwhile, Hantz Marconi’s role in all this? Using her powerful position to lean on political connections in defense of her husband — a clear-cut conflict of interest, if not outright abuse of power.
After submitting a no contest plea — meaning she didn’t admit guilt but didn’t dispute the charge — you might expect some contrition. Maybe even a resignation. Instead, we got a smirk and a full return to the bench.
No public apology. No disqualification. Just a stunning reminder that, in some corners of the justice system, accountability still has a back door.
Now Geno’s preparing for trial in November. Hantz Marconi is back in her robes. And the people of New Hampshire are left wondering how a judge with a corruption conviction is still making decisions that affect lives, businesses, and laws — from the very bench she just disgraced.
