LANSING – An Oakland County woman accused of posing as a board-certified therapist at the Oxford Recovery Center in Brighton will stand trial on multiple counts of medical malpractice, identity theft and witness intimidation, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today.
Kimberly Casey Coden-Diskin, 34, was bound over for trial after a preliminary hearing on Jan. 18 and Feb. 1, 2023, before Judge Shauna Murphy of the 53rd District Court in Livingston County.
Coden-Diskin is attributed to:
- 16 counts of unauthorized practice of a health profession, four-year felonies with a $5,000 fine; and
- Two counts of identity theft, five-year felonies with a $25,000 fine.
The Attorney General’s Department alleges that Coden-Diskin falsely posed as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and used the false credentials to treat high-risk children with autism and work with their parents.
In 2018, Corden-Diskin took a job at the Oxford Recovery Center in Brighton, where she performed services that required a license and certification, which she did not have. Furthermore, Coden-Diskin was never licensed by the State of Michigan as required under the Michigan Public Health Code. She used professional business cards, verbal statements and written documents to appear as a licensed medical practitioner. She presented university degrees she allegedly did not earn and used the certificate number of another state-certified person to cover up her lack of certification.
The attorney general reminds employers to take the time to verify requested licenses and certifications of job applicants—especially when those positions involve sensitive work or contact with vulnerable populations. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs maintains a free public license verification website.
“Unfortunately, employers cannot always rely on what an applicant can represent on their behalf. In many cases, due diligence requires verifying legally required qualifications,” Nessel said. “In cases where someone misrepresents themselves as a medical professional, my office stands ready to intervene.”
Coden-Diskin is next scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on the charges in Livingston County’s 44th Circuit Court. That date has not yet been set.
After the original lawsuit was filed, Corden-Diskin was charged with witness intimidation for allegedly communicating with a witness in the original lawsuit. Corden-Diskin waived her right to a preliminary hearing in that case.
The Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD) handled the case for the department. HCFD is the federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for Michigan, and it receives 75% of its funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services under a $5,196,188 grant for fiscal year 2023. The remaining 25%, the total percentage is $1,6132. , funded by the State of Michigan.
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Please note: A criminal charge is simply an accusation, and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The department does not provide booking photos.
