PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A former Letcher County nurse-midwife who pleaded guilty to rape, sodomy, sex abuse and other charges earlier this year is now challenging her conviction and sentence in federal court.

Carrie Hall, 44, of Whitesburg, was charged with 26 counts, including rape, sodomy, sex abuse, using a minor in a sexual performance, bribing a witness and other charges back in 2020. She pleaded guilty to all charges in April and was sentenced to six years in prison in June.

Now she is challenging her conviction and sentence.

In her petition to the court, Hall argues that she only pleaded guilty because she was convinced she could not receive a fair trial.

She claims that an employee of the prosecutor’s office was the mother of the victim’s best friend and she “fed” information about the case to the media, which “went wild” with the news. She also says she negotiated a settlement in the case that satsifed all parties, but the judge rejected it because it did not include any jail time.

Her petition does not specify what type of relief she is seeking.

No hearings have yet been set on Hall’s motion.