An Oakland County woman convicted of impersonating a health care worker, identity theft, and intimidating a witness, has been sentenced to prison, officials said.
Kimberly Coden, 38, learned Tuesday in Livingston County Circuit Court she would spend minimum of 12 years in prison for multiple felonies, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office announced.
Officials said a judge sentenced her to 4-6 years for six counts of the unauthorized practice of a health profession, 4-7.5 years for two counts of identity theft and 4-6 years for a count of bribing and intimidating a witness.
Corden’s attorney was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.
Authorities alleged Coden presented herself as a board-certified behavioral analyst while working as a services director from 2018-21 at the Oxford Recovery Center, which serves autistic children. The center has facilities in Brighton and Troy.
However, officials said Coden was not licensed by the state and did not possess the required educational background.
Authorities said she used the certification number of a person who was certified and licensed to get a job as an analyst in 2016 at Centria Healthcare, which has 13 locations in Michigan, and a job from 2017-18 at the Positive Behavior Supports Corporation, which has offices in Royal Oak and Detroit.
Investigators said Corden sent text messages to a witness in their case against her to prevent the person from testifying in court.
“Falsifying credentials to gain access to a highly vulnerable population is unethical and reprehensible,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “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.”
Corden is the latest Michiganian to be accused of impersonating a healthcare professional.
In May, a Flint woman was charged with practicing as a nurse without a license and identity theft.
Last year, an Allegan County woman pleaded guilty to identity theft and falsifying medical records after she was charged in federal court with posing as a registered nurse.