NEWTON — William Hayden was arraigned Monday on a felony tax fraud charge brought by the state's Attorney General's office, who allege the first-term Sussex County commissioner claimed on his federal income tax form to be a military veteran when in fact he never served.

Deputy Attorney General Christopher Scerbo, representing the state Department of Criminal Justice, told Superior Court Judge Janine Allen his office had offered Hayden a plea deal for a probationary sentence in exchange for forfeiting his position on the commissioner board and his employment with the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Hayden pleaded not guilty during the brief hearing at the Sussex County Judicial Center, which was delayed when he first appeared before Allen without an attorney on Aug. 25. Allen s

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