PITTSBURGH — A former staffer for state Republican Sen. Jane Orie testified today that she typically spent up to 30 percent of her time on campaign-related work but that figure could ramp up to 50 percent around election time.

Christine Bahr says she worked in Orie’s Pittsburgh-area Senate office from 2001 until 2005. When she wasn’t doing legitimate state office work Bahr says she spent much of her time crafting thank-you letters related to the senator’s campaign fundraisers.

Bahr says she and other female staffers were even told to pretend they were Orie herself when they did campaign-related phone bank work.

Orie is charged with 10 counts ranging from theft of services from the state and criminal conspiracy.

Prosecutors allege Orie directed state workers to engage in campaign-related tasks for herself and her sister, state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin, who ran for that office in 2003 and was finally elected in 2009.

Prosecutors also allege that Orie’s sister Janine, an administrative assistant for Justice Orie Melvin, directed employees to do campaign tasks while working for the state. Janine Orie is charged with two counts of theft of service.

Orie Melvin is not facing charges.

This is the fourth day of testimony in Ories’ trial.