BRENTWOOD, N.H. — The long-serving director of the New Hampshire Port Authority who was indicted last year on felony witness tampering and other charges struck a deal with prosecutors to avert the jury trial that had been slated to begin next week.
Geno J. Marconi, 74, pleaded guilty Friday to one misdemeanor and was immediately sentenced during a hearing at Rockingham County Superior Court.
He agreed to resign from his job, pay a $2,000 fine, and receive a 30-day suspended sentence that he won’t actually serve in jail if he stays out of trouble for a year, according to court records. All other charges will be dropped.
Judge David W. Ruoff noted during the hearing that Marconi has also agreed not to seek or accept any other paid or unpaid position with the Pease Development Authority, which oversees the state’s ports and harbors.
Marconi’s plea deal comes three weeks after his wife, New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, 69, pleaded no contest to a lesser misdemeanor and was convicted for having sought to meddle with the attorney general’s investigation into her husband. She has since returned to the bench.
The power couple’s high-profile prosecutions had made waves across New Hampshire for well over a year, as their misconduct involved interactions with some of the state’s most influential political leaders.
Their misdemeanor plea deals after a years-long investigation show that justice has been served, prosecutor Dan A. Jiménez told reporters after Friday’s hearing.
“One is a long-serving public official. The other is a Supreme Court justice,” he said. “They’re both now convicted.”
Attorney General John M. Formella said public officials must comply with the law and be held to a high standard.
“This case demonstrates that accountability applies equally to all, regardless of position or relationship,” he said.
But a prominent victim in this case said there is much more information that should be brought to light.
Neil Levesque, a member of the Pease Development Authority’s board, said Marconi’s conviction represents “a first step” toward clearing out what he described as a criminal conspiracy that has long plagued the state’s Division of Ports and Harbors.
“The public needs to know the full extent of what the attorney general’s office uncovered about Geno Marconi’s actions,” Levesque said, adding that “many high-profile people” decided to look the other way to protect their own interests.
“If we are going to have the kind of government the people of this state deserve, then people in power need to be willing to call out misconduct when they see it,” he said.
In pleading guilty, Marconi admitted he improperly disclosed Levesque’s confidential motor vehicle records and related permits for fishing and pier usage to an unauthorized third party. He shared those records with the chairperson of an advisory council, Bradley J. Cook, 74, who still faces a pending indictment on perjury and false swearing charges for allegedly lying about having received the records.
Marconi told reporters after the hearing that there was no malice or nefarious purpose underpinning his actions.
“I’ve always considered myself to be an honest, law-abiding citizen,” he said. “Although at the time I believed that the port advisory council members had legal authority to review those types of documents, I admit that I made a mistake, and I accept responsibility for that mistake.”
The other charges against Marconi had alleged his release of Levesque’s motor vehicle records was an act of retaliation against a witness or informant and an obstruction of government administration. He had also been accused of falsifying physical evidence by deleting voicemails despite believing an official proceeding or investigation was pending or about to be initiated.
While authorities have remained fairly tight-lipped about what exactly they were investigating, prosecutors noted in a court filing this month that the New Hampshire Department of Justice had been looking into whether Marconi or the Pease Development Authority had done anything improper related to funds from a 2020 federal economic stimulus package. They noted that Marconi was not charged with any such misconduct.
Levesque and Marconi both said on Friday that the investigation had begun about four years ago.
Levesque said he upheld his responsibility to the Pease Development Authority by “calling into question the actions of some powerful and influential people,” including Marconi, then testifying before a grand jury in response to a subpoena.
“I was subsequently the victim of retaliation, as I and others worked to disclose what I believe to be a sophisticated, organized criminal enterprise run by the defendant,” Levesque said.
“When it became clear that the defendant abused his power to spy on me, I was advised by the attorney general’s office to be physically careful because the actual physical safety of me and my family could be at risk,” he said. “I have spent the last four years looking over my shoulder as a result.”
Jiménez, the prosecutor, declined to comment on Levesque’s claims of a criminal conspiracy. He said the investigation stemmed initially from a complaint two fishermen had raised to another state agency. After a thorough review, his team concluded there was an insufficient basis for potential charges related to any alleged theft or possible misappropriation of funds.
“We reviewed all the evidence,” he said. “We did an analysis of what charges were appropriate, and we brought those charges based on the evidence we received.”
This article has been updated with additional information from the court hearing and from the attorney general.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.