Two more employees of former Allegheny County Coroner Cyril H. Wecht testified yesterday that personal errands they were ordered to perform for Dr. Wecht and his family interfered with their job duties.

But as the government continued to make its case that Dr. Wecht's employees often were treated as personal valets rather than civil servants, a question lingered: How involved was Dr. Wecht himself in those assignments?

Yesterday, former deputy coroner Jessica Pikutis said Dr. Wecht once became miffed at her when she used his credit card to buy him 12 cans of the wrong brand of tennis balls.

But even then, she said, the order to buy the balls at a Downtown sporting goods store came from former Chief Deputy Coroner Joseph Dominick.

Other witnesses have testified that assignments were typically doled out by either Mr. Dominick -- a man described as "Hitler" by one staffer and with a "medieval" management style by another -- or former Assistant Deputy Coroner Terry Browne, called an "enforcer" earlier this week.

Through cross-examinations, Dr. Wecht's defense attorneys have managed to get witnesses to acknowledge that Dr. Wecht himself usually did not give orders other than sometimes calling to say he was ready to be picked up for, say, a trip to the airport.

But Nicolette Romaniello Lupinacci, a receptionist at the coroner's office from March 2003 to September 2005 and a union shop steward, testified about a meeting at which Dr. Wecht grew agitated over complaints about the errands, which were known among staffers as "Wecht details."

She said a former deputy coroner, Heather Morici, complained during a union meeting about not being able to finish her work in a timely fashion.

Ms. Morici "was becoming behind on her computer work relating to county deaths and didn't have time to do both," Ms. Lupinacci said. "Heather was complaining that the personal tasks were keeping her from doing her work in the deputy's office."

After that meeting, Ms. Lupinacci said the two were called to a meeting with Dr. Wecht, Mr. Dominick and former coroner's office solicitor Timothy Uhrich.

Ms. Lupinacci said the conversation started out calmly, but Dr. Wecht became angry and loud.

"At first he was very nice and spoke slowly, and the conversation became more heated once his statements were questioned by the union representative or Ms. Morici," Ms. Lupinacci said. "Dr. Wecht questioned whether Heather had any knowledge of Dr. [Henry] Lee or Carlow [University] or Duquesne [University]'s affiliation with the county coroner's office and it basically needs to be done and it shouldn't be questioned."

Dr. Lee is a nationally renowned forensic pathologist who has been chauffeured by coroner's office employees during trips to Pittsburgh. Prosecutors contend that Dr. Wecht struck an agreement with Carlow to provide cadavers for use in student dissections in exchange for free lab space for his private business. Duquesne is the site of the Cyril H. Wecht Institute for Forensic Science and Law.

Dr. Wecht is on trial in U.S. District Court, accused in 41 counts of misusing his public office for personal gain. Testimony is to resume Monday.

Under Mr. Dominick, autopsy technician Tiffani Hunt testified yesterday, deputy coroners had to worry about retaliation and punishment for not doing Wecht details.

In 1999, she testified, when Mr. Dominick was promoted following the death of his predecessor, James Bentz, a "medieval type of management began where you were punished, and things would go on that were mostly unfair under his direction."

Ms. Hunt testified that the Wecht details "became a problem under Joe Dominick because they were obsessive. It was endless and all day, and then the punishment ... came with it."

Shortly after the meeting at which Dr. Wecht grew angry, Ms. Lupinacci said, Mr. Dominick took privileges away from nonmanagement staff. She said he told them a time clock would be installed. He forbade employees to have food or drink at their work stations. And, she said, he directed the removal of an aquarium in the lobby, where Ms. Lupinacci's desk was.

Defense attorney Jerry McDevitt tried to get Ms. Lupinacci to paint deputy coroners as a bunch of malcontents and complainers who told "stories" about Wecht details.

"I didn't consider them stories," Ms. Lupinacci replied. "They were part of the workday."

Ms. Lupinacci and Ms. Hunt testified that they were directed to work on a political campaign for David Wecht, the coroner's son, who is now a Common Pleas judge. Both said that while on duty they were asked to go to Oxford Centre, Downtown, and make fund-raising phone calls to attorneys and law firms.

Ms. Hunt said she had an additional assignment. Mr. Browne, she testified, told her not to wear her uniform to work for several days so she could sell fund-raising tickets out of a coroner's van.

Ms. Hunt echoed other witnesses that Dr. Wecht, for all his fame and stature, kept an open-door policy and would willingly listen to any and all complaints.

"But under Joe Dominick, if they were to find out you were to talk to Dr. Wecht about anything, Dr. Wecht would try to solve it. But you would still be harassed, I would say is a better word. You would definitely be harassed for doing that. That's not what you really wanted to do."

Toward the end of the day, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen S. Stallings checked some facts with Ms. Hunt, namely that although Mr. Dominick was the No. 2 in command, he was hired by Dr. Wecht, who was the man in charge. As well, Ms. Hunt acknowledged, people hardly ever did personal errands for Mr. Dominick.

Mr. McDevitt tried to score a point by getting Ms. Lupinacci to admit that her father was a big Wecht supporter.

Ms. Lupinacci is the daughter of Daniel Romaniello Sr., a former Pittsburgh Public Schools board member and one-time American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees chief steward/treasurer.

Despite the friction at the coroner's office, Ms. Lupinacci acknowledged, she invited Dr. Wecht to her wedding in 2005. He came, she said, and brought a gift.