Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A woman accused of posing as a board-certified therapist at a local recovery center will stand trial on numerous charges including identify theft, and witness intimidation.

34-year-old Kimberly Casey Coden-Diskin was bound over for trial on 16 counts of unauthorized practice of a health profession and two counts of identity theft following a preliminary exam in 53rd District Court in Howell.

The Department of Attorney General alleges that Coden-Diskin falsely represented herself as a Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA) and used false credentials to treat highly vulnerable children diagnosed with Autism and work with their parents.

In 2018, Coden-Diskin obtained employment at the Oxford Recovery Center in Brighton, where the Department says she performed services that required a license and certification that she did not have. Coden-Diskin was also never licensed by the State of Michigan as required under the Michigan Public Health Code.

Coden-Diskin is alleged to have used professional business cards, verbal statements, and written documents to pose as a licensed medical professional. She also allegedly presented university degrees that she did not earn and utilized the certification number of another state-certified individual to conceal her lack of certification.

Attorney General Dana Nessel said “Regrettably, employers can’t always rely upon what an applicant may represent to them. In many cases, due diligence requires verification of legally necessary qualifications”.

Following the filing of the initial case, Coden-Diskin has since been charged with one count of witness intimidation for her alleged communications with a witness in the original case. She waived her right to a preliminary exam in that case.

Coden-Diskin is due in Livingston County Circuit Court next for pre-trial conferences. Dates are pending.

The Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division handled the case for the Department. It’s the federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for Michigan, and it receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Nessel reminds employers to take the time to verify claimed licenses and certifications of job applicants—particularly when positions involve sensitive work or contact with vulnerable populations.

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs maintains a free public license verification website. The link is provided.