A doctor who serves as mayor of a northern New Jersey town has pleaded not guilty after he was charged with taking cash bribes and other kickbacks for referring patients to a medical imaging company.

West New York Mayor Felix Roque entered the plea on Monday.

The 59-year-old Roque operates the Pain Relief Center medical practice. The attorney general's office alleges that between 2007 and 2012 he referred patients to medical imaging centers controlled by Rehan Zuberi in exchange for cash and campaign contributions.

Prosecutors say Roque received about $250,000 from the scheme. He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all of the counts. He was acquitted in October 2013 of charges that he illegally gained access to computers of political foes.