Teresa C. Merced pleaded guilty to charges of taking kickbacks, lying to federal authorities and trying to have a witness lie on her behalf.

A lab CEO from Lexington first met with her in 2019 after several conversations over the phone.

In August 2019, she received a $4,000 check in “earnest money” towards a $14,000 bribe.

Merced managed St. John Neumann’s Extended Hours medical clinic in Breathitt County. According to her plea deal, her husband Pablo was a doctor who provided substance abuse treatment.