LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. – The former director of services at the Oxford Recovery Center has been sentenced after pleading guilty to impersonating a health care professional and witness intimidation.
Kimberly Casey Coden, 38, of Huntington Woods, pleaded guilty in August to multiple felonies. Coden was working as a director of services at the Oxford Recovery Center, which had locations in Brighton and Troy. The Oxford Recovery Center provides services to children diagnosed with autism.
Officials said Coden presented herself as a board-certified behavioral analyst (BCBA) even though she was not licensed by the state of Michigan and did not have the proper educational background.
She used the certification number of a board-certified BCBA to get employment at Centria Health Care for several months in 2016, and at the Positive Behavior Supports Corporation from 2017 to 2018. She then worked at the Oxford Recovery Center from 2018 to 2021.
Officials said Coden intimidated a witness via text messages in an attempt to prevent them from testifying against her.
Coden was sentenced to the following:
- 4-6 years’ incarceration for six counts of unauthorized practice of a health profession.
- 4-7.5 years’ incarceration for two counts of identity theft.
- 4-6 years’ incarceration for one count of bribing, intimidating a witness.
“Falsifying credentials to gain access to a highly vulnerable population is unethical and reprehensible,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “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.”
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