WPRO News and The Associated Press 

A former Rhode Island court clerk has been charged with illegally accessing and then sealing without a judge’s authority cases involving herself or her family.

Rhode Island State Police on Tuesday announced that 51-year-old Lynn Gaulin, of Smithfield, faces three counts of access to a computer for fraudulent purposes.

Authorities allege Gaulin, while employed as a deputy civil court clerk at Providence Superior Court, sealed nine cases.

Gaulin worked for the courts since 2010 until her termination in August, said a spokesman for the courts, which referred the case to the State Police when a breach in protocol was discovered.