Great Lakes Wire

LANSING – On Tuesday, Kimberly Coden, 38, of Berkley, pled guilty in the 44th Circuit Court in Livingston County before Judge Suzanne Geddis to multiple felonies related to impersonating a health care professional and witness intimidation, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Coden pled to six counts of the Unauthorized Practice of a Health Profession, a felony punishable by up to four years’ imprisonment and/or $5,000; two counts of Identity Theft, a felony punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment and/or $25,000; and one count of Intimidation or Interfering with a Witness, a felony punishable by up to four years’ imprisonment and/or $5,000.

Coden was employed as a director of services at Oxford Recovery Center, a facility with locations in Brighton and Troy that provides services to children diagnosed with autism. She presented herself as a Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA) when she was not licensed by the State of Michigan and did not possess the requisite educational background. Coden also utilized the certification of a board-certified BCBA with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to obtain employment at Centria Health Care for several months in 2016 and the Positive Behavior Supports Corporation from 2017 to 2018, in addition to the Oxford Recovery Center where she was employed from 2018 to 2021. Coden also intimidated a witness via text messages in an effort to prevent the witness from testifying against her.

“The treatment of children in need of intensive intervention or services must remain in the hands of certified and licensed professionals,” said Nessel. “My office will remain vigilant to protect children from unlicensed practitioners who can cause tremendous harm due to their lack of specialized training.”

The case has been scheduled for sentencing on December 3, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. Coden has been placed at the Livingston County Jail while she awaits sentencing.

The Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD) handled this case for the Department. The HCFD is the federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for Michigan and receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,541,992 for fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25%, totaling $1,847,326 is funded by the State of Michigan.

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