PITTSBURGH -- The federal case against a former Allegheny County coroner continued on Monday with testimony from a former secretary.

Dr. Cyril Wecht, who has led inquiries into the deaths of Elvis Presley, JonBenet Ramsey and Vincent Foster among others, is accused of using his government staff as bookkeepers, secretaries, couriers and gofers for his family and his private pathology practice.

Prosecutors said Wecht, 76, illegally used the county workers to cut costs in his private practice, which grossed nearly $9 million from 1997 through 2004. He never made more than $64,000 a year as county coroner.

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Wecht's retired secretary of 31 years testified on Monday about her preparation of fake invoices from an out-of-business travel agency to claim payment from Wecht's private clients for travel and expenses.

Mari-Beth Blettner testified that she did the private work at the coroner's office on county time.

She testified that the specific figures she placed on the invoices came from Wecht.

Blettner said that Wecht's private clients were instructed to write two checks, one for Wecht's private fee and a separate one for the expenses.

She testified that she would cash the expense reimbursement checks at the bank, put the money in envelopes, and give the cash envelopes to Wecht back at the coroner's office.

Blettner testified that those figures were not transmitted to Wecht's corporate accountants. The invoices included bills for limo rides to and from the airport when Wecht, in fact, got to the airport in county cars.

When asked if she had ever asked Wecht why he was sending out receipts for reimbursement for limo rides he did not take, Blettner answered, "No. It was just something that we did."

On cross-examination by Wecht defense attorney Jerry McDevitt, Blettner said that in their 31 years, Wecht had never asked her to do anything wrong.

She testified that he never inflated his charges to private clients for airfares.

She also testified that no one ever complained about Wecht's limousine charge and that the FBI agent investigating this case was the first to do so.

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