PITTSBURGH — The chief of staff for imprisoned former state Sen. Jane Orie testified she was ordered by her boss to follow instructions to do campaign work from the senator’s sisters.

Former top aide Jamie Pavlot said the former Republican lawmaker told her, “You need to follow that as though I were telling you myself,” whenever state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin or the judge’s aide Janine Orie needed her help for campaign work.

Melvin, 56, and Janine Orie, 58, of Pittsburgh’s North Hills suburbs, are on trial on theft of services, conspiracy and other charges for allegedly misusing Melvin’s former Superior Court staff and Sen. Orie’s former staff, both of which were taxpayer-funded, to campaign for Melvin.

Pavlot also testified that she and other staffers for Sen. Orie routinely handled fundraising, political mailings and other campaign political tasks when Melvin ran for the Supreme Court unsuccessfully in 2003 and again in 2009 when she won a seat.

Melvin is now suspended from that post because of the charges she faces and Janine Orie is suspended as Melvin’s aide.

Jane Orie is serving 2½ to 10 years in prison and resigned from office after she was convicted last year of using her state-paid staff to work on her own campaigns. Orie was acquitted of charges she used her staff to help Melvin — despite testimony from Pavlot that was largely repeated Monday at the sisters’ trial.

Pavlot has a grant of immunity, meaning she can’t be prosecuted for her role in the crimes.

Pavlot acknowledged that the former senator’s staff often did campaign work for Melvin in Orie’s North Hills legislative office and even received paid time off in return for doing campaign work.