PITTSBURGH — State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin will face charges that she misused her state-funded staff as political campaign tools, prosecutors said this morning.

The Allegheny County district attorney’s office said Melvin will face nine criminal counts, including theft of services and conspiracy to tamper with evidence in connection with allegations she used her taxpayer-funded staff to perform campaign work.

Melvin was expected to turn herself in this afternoon and appear before a Pittsburgh magistrate. A phone message left for her attorney wasn’t immediately returned.

Melvin’s sister, state Sen. Jane Orie, was convicted on March 26 of 14 similar criminal counts, including five felonies, for illegal electioneering on the part of her staff.

Sen. Orie represents the southern part of Butler County.

A third sister, Janine Orie, faces charges in connection with each sister. Now suspended from her job as an aide to Melvin, Janine Orie is charged with directing the taxpayer-funded staffs of both sisters to perform campaign work.

Jane and Janine Orie initially went on trial together early last year, but their cases were split after the judge overseeing the case declared a mistrial and determined that documents submitted by the defense were forgeries.

Sen. Orie is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

A spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts didn’t immediately comment on the charges, but the office said it would be only the second time a sitting justice has faced criminal charges.