Ethic charges against a retired Oakdale optometrist who  served as the secretary-treasurer of the Louisiana State Optometry Examiners (LSBOE) and executive director of the Optometry Association of Louisiana (OAL) appear to be headed to a state Ethics Adjudicatory Board hearing.

No date for the hearing has been set, according to documents released last month by the Louisiana Board of Ethics.

Dr. James Sanderfur is facing ethics charges for combining state money from the LSBOE with private funds from the OAL and using LSBOE’s office space and other resources without paying rent or utilities for the office located in his hometown of Oakdale.

A state audit released in March also accused the LSBOE, under Sandefur’s leadership, of violating state law by allowing use of its office space and resources for the benefit of OAL, a private entity. State law prohibits the loaning, pledging or donating of public funds, including property or things of value to or for any association, public or private.

Auditors found that the LSBOE and OAL shared office space for several years, with all rent, utilities, insurance and office supplies paid by the LSBOE.

The Louisiana Department of Health leased the office space for the main LSBOE office for $600 a month. However, both the LSBOE and OAL listed the office as their main address from January 2019 to December 2021 though OAL did not pay for any use of the building.

The LSBOE moved from Oakdale to Ruston in 2021 and the two entities are no longer sharing any resources, according to the audit.

Sandefur was a member of the LSBOE for nearly 40 years and was elected secretary-treasurer in 1995. He continued to serve as secretary-treasurer until resigning his positions as a member and secretary-treasurer in November 2021. As a member and secretary-treasurer of the board, Sandefur was considered a “public servant” and subject to ethics standards.

Sandefur also served as a member of the Optometry Association of Louisiana, formerly Louisiana State Association of Optometrists, Inc., and was the executive director from 1996-2021. As executive director, he was responsible for collecting membership dues, organizing the annual convention and continuing education conferences, paying bills, preparing material for board meetings and monitoring legislation affecting the practice of optometry.

The Louisiana Board of Ethics says, Sandefur, while serving as both a member and the secretary-treasurer of the LSBOE, violated state ethics laws by “receiving anything of economic value for services rendered to a person that had or was seeking to have a contractual, financial or other business relationship with the LSBOE when he received compensation for services rendered to the OAL at a time when OAL had business and financial relationships with the LSBOE.”

It further found that the OAL violated ethics laws by providing compensation to Sandefur while he was prohibited from receiving it.

Sandefur was paid $6,767 a month while serving as executive director of the OAL. His annual compensation decreased to $201,175 in 2021.

Sandefur, who had not practiced optometry since 2005, retired in 2021.

The Ethics Board and its trial attorney, Charles E. Reeves Jr., have asked the Ethics Adjudicatory Board to determine whether Sandefur and the OAL violated ethics laws. It further asks the Adjudicatory Board to assess appropriate penalties.