An Oakland County woman, Kimberly Casey Coden, has been given a prison sentence after she was found guilty of posing as a health professional and intimidating a witness. The 38-year-old from Huntington Woods faced Judge L. Suzanne Geddis in the 44th Circuit Court in Livingston County, landing a sentence between 4 to 7.5 years in incarceration for her crimes.
According to a press release from the Michigan Attorney General's Office, Coden's convictions include six counts of Unauthorized Practice of a Health Profession, two counts of Identity Theft, and one count of Bribing, Intimidating a Witness. Her duplicitous actions extended over several years, where she falsely represented herself as a Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA) despite not having a license or the necessary educational credentials from the State of Michigan.
During her employment from 2016 through 2021, Coden expertly deceived various healthcare organizations, including Oxford Recovery Center—a facility catering to children with Autism—Centria Health Care and Positive Behavior Supports Corporation. Misusing another professional's certification number was one tactic Coden employed to masquerade as a qualified individual in these healthcare settings.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel highlighted the gravity of Coden's actions, stating, "Falsifying credentials to gain access to a highly vulnerable population is unethical and reprehensible." She firmly opposed the issue, saying, "I hope this sentence serves as a warning for others that we take the proper training, qualifications, and licensing requirements very seriously and there are real consequences for those who deliberately shirk them."
The Attorney General's Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD), the federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for Michigan, managed the case. Financially supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the State of Michigan, the HCFD has the backing to pursue such cases aggressively.
