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On Friday, nine days later, he resigned, citing a 1996 case in which he was charged with an "attempted lewd act upon" a 15-year-old girl, whom he later married. In a statement, Mr. Dare, 48, said he believed that "media attention to my family's personal life will harm the organization and musicians I cherish, as well as needlessly embarrass my wife."

Stephen Sichak, the orchestra's co-chairman, said it knew about the charge when Mr. Dare was hired but that inquiries into the case from "friends of the symphony," not reporters, began coming in. "Concerns about the public perception of this subject matter" emerged, Mr. Sichak said. "The situation has become a distraction and is keeping us from being able to do what we do best," making music, so the board accepted Mr. Dare's resignation.

The development came as a New York Times investigation into Mr. Dare's background raised questions about aspects of his résumé and business accomplishments. Former associates have suggested that he exaggerated the extent of his business dealings, and evidence to support some of his claims — like his having testified frequently before Congress — could not immediately be found.

Mr. Dare declined to answer questions during a conference call with New Jersey Symphony officials but said that he would consider e-mailed queries. He did not respond to an e-mail sent late Friday afternoon

Mr. Dare pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 60 days in jail in the criminal case. He was placed on probation for three years and was registered as a sex offender in California, where the incident occurred, according to court documents. In his statement Mr. Dare called his actions "attempted misbehavior," said the charges were "completely dismissed, and the case was set aside." The court documents show that the case was dismissed in 1999 and his probation cut short by a year.

According to reports at the time in The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif., Mr. Dare had been a fifth-grade teacher at Loma Linda Academy before opening an alternative school in 1992 called Brightwater Academy. The victim — now his wife — had been a student there. Her mother came home one day to find Mr. Dare naked in the house with her daughter and called the police. Mr. Dare then lived in Grand Terrace, in San Bernardino County, west of Los Angeles.

The prosecutor, Arthur Harrison, said in a telephone interview that the girl did not cooperate with police.

"As soon as she turned 18, he up and married her," said Mr. Harrison, now a state judge. "It was clearly a willing victim, but clearly under age as well."

Mr. Dare said he had told New Jersey Symphony officials early on about his encounter with the law.

Mr. Sichak, the co-chairman, confirmed that and said a "thorough background check was completed." Orchestra officials reviewed court documents. "We were satisfied with what we saw," he added. He declined to disclose Mr. Dare's salary, but the previous chief executive earned about $200,000 a year.

Mr. Sichak said reference calls were also made to former business associates.

"We attempted to understand his capabilities, his management style, what he was good at, what areas he could improve in," Mr. Sichak said. "We did not assess nor, frankly, base our decision on business results and the accuracy thereof."

Mr. Dare described his career this way in a television interview on NJTV: "I spent most of my career — the last say, 15, almost 20 years — building large companies."

His major business venture was as founder of Pacific Rim Partners Inc., which acted as a go-between between Japanese and American businesses. It was founded in 2008 and ceased most operations after the March 2011 earthquake in Japan.