New Philly IT Executive Had Troubled Past - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

He has just settled into a six-figure job in Philadelphia's IT department, but did officials know about some trouble in his past?

Investigative Reporter Jeff Cole has the details.

At least one top city official did not want us to tell you the story of Raymond Hayling. That was made clear in a phone call.

Hayling is a new city IT executive who ran into trouble with the law back in 2007. Hayling works on the 18^18th floor of a Market Street office tower, and he started just this month.

City taxpayers will pay him $138,000 to be the Deputy Chief Innovation Officer.

When we tried to speak with his boss about Hayling's 2007 criminal charges, it didn't go well.

Hayling was charged with forgery and falsifying records in May 2007. He was New Jersey's Deputy Director of Information Technology at the time.

The state alleged he had forged documents and made false statements in an application for a $422,500 home loan.

A spokesperson for the city says Hayling claims the charges were false and politically-motivated.

But according to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, two months after being charged, Hayling entered into a pre-trial intervention program in which he agreed to pay back all monies he got from the bank and be under supervision for 12 months. If he did so, any criminal charge would be dismissed.

Philadelphia's Managing Director Richard Negrin tells FOX 29 the city checked, and Hayling has a clean criminal record.

We wanted to speak directly with Hayling, but he did not return our call, and we were told he wasn't in when we went to his office.

The charge against Hayling was never proven. He entered into that pre-trial program, and it was later dismissed. Did the city know of his past? We're told his boss knew generally about it, and it didn't impact the decision to hire him.