INDIANAPOLIS -- A current board member of the Indiana Board of Pharmacy has paid a $600 fine after a state investigation found he violated the state’s conflict of interest law.
Steven Anderson, a pharmacist in Bedford, Indiana, is also listed as the Vice President as the Indiana Board of Pharmacy, a board licenses and regulates pharmacies, pharmacists, home medical equipment providers, as well as the state’s prescription database.
According to a report released by the Indiana Office of Inspector General, Anderson participated in votes in which both he and a business in which he serves as a partner had a financial interest in the outcome.
The report is one of 13 reports published by the Indiana Office of Inspector General in 2016.
The state office (OIG) is tasked with addressing fraud, waste, abuse and wrongdoing in state agencies, and also investigates criminal activity and ethics violations by state employees and special state appointees.
OIG received a complaint in October 2015 about Anderson participating in votes involving a pharmacy he was financially connected with.
Anderson was appointed to the board in 2003, and qualifies as a “special state appointee” and is subject to the State Code of Ethics.
Anderson reached a settlement agreement with the OIG and agreed to pay a $600 fine.
The State Ethics Commission approved the settlement on October 13, 2016.
He told Call 6 Investigates paying the fine was less expensive than fighting the case through hearings.
“I don’t feel that I did anything wrong,” said Anderson. “But, the cost to go to a hearing would have been astronomical compared to a fine.”
Anderson said he and other pharmacy board members are now more careful to review the agenda ahead of time to make sure there aren’t any conflicts of interest.
If there is, they will recuse themselves from voting and sometimes leave the room, Anderson said.
“Going forward, for myself, I’m more thorough,” said Anderson.
Conflict of interest continues to be an issue for state workers, records show.
Another OIG report released this fall found an employee with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management was terminated and fined $2,500 for violating the state’s conflict of interest statute.
The OIG received a complaint that IDEM worker Kevin Green was a partner at Starburst Technology and Green was recommending Starburst products to various waste water treatment plants that he assisted as part of his IDEM job duties.
The investigation found Green used his state email and state vehicle to conduct business on behalf of Starburst.
IDEM terminated Green in 2014, and contacted OIG who launched the investigation.
The Indiana State Ethics Commission reached a settlement with Green on September 8, 2016.
