Yonkers resident Diamond Walker, 36, was arraigned on felony charges on Monday, Nov. 2, after investigators determined she used forged documents to secure employment at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors said Walker was hired as a physical therapist at the public hospital on March 11, 2024, after submitting an application claiming she was licensed to practice physical therapy in New York State. She also claimed to have earned a doctorate in physical therapy from Columbia University and a master’s degree in athletic training from Long Island University, according to prosecutors.
However, investigators said they found that Walker was not licensed to practice physical therapy in New York, had never attended Columbia University, and had not graduated from Long Island University.
To back up her claims, Walker is accused of submitting a fraudulent physical therapy license bearing another person’s license number, a fake Columbia University diploma, and a forged document supposedly issued by Kings County Family Court concerning a name change.
Despite those alleged fabrications, Walker secured the position and remained employed at the hospital until Feb. 5, 2026, when she was fired following an investigation, according to the DA’s Office.
On Monday, Walker appeared before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Matthew Blum and was arraigned on charges of first-degree identity theft, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, and first-degree falsifying business records.
She was released without bail and is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 9.
Following Walker’s arraignment, New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Nadia Shihata said her agency would recommend improvements to Kings County Hospital’s hiring and employee background-check procedures.
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