Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote in the Capitol Fax about how Dawn DeFraties was moved out as CMS personnel chief and over to another agency (Healthcare & Family Services) under strange circumstances.

According to several sources, CMS personnel office files were searched by the Office of the Executive Inspector General and at least one computer was seized in late March.

Shortly after that happened, Defraties’ husband retired from the Springfield Fire Department and was almost immediately appointed Deputy State Fire Marshall. In October of last year, DeFraties was appointed acting State Fire Marshall. The rumor was at the time that this was all designed to keep Dawn quiet. But that’s doubtful now.

Yesterday, the governor’s office threw together a last-minute press conference to get out in front of this new story by the Sun-Times.

The state alleges that DeFraties, a former deputy director in the state’s personnel bureau, and Casey, her assistant, allowed “special applications” of people with political sponsors to have “an advantage over other applicants for state jobs.” The special applicants could fax — rather than mail — job documents, thereby putting them ahead in line, the state’s complaint alleges. […]

The state alleges that grades assigned to 28 job applicants were allegedly handled inappropriately, and nine of those people were hired or promoted. They are now being investigated to see if those who got jobs should keep them, be fired or transferred into other positions.

But then there’s this:

The inspector general’s notes, copies of which were obtained by the Sun-Times, raise questions about four applicants who were applying for jobs covered under the state’s Rutan consent decree, which bans politics as a factor in the hiring of most state jobs.

Among the names mentioned in the notes is Scott Flood, the son of Sam Flood, who has held multiple administrative posts in the Blagojevich administration and is currently director of the Natural Resources Department. Scott Flood, a state employee since 1999, also has had multiple jobs and is currently working in a $61,788-a-year post in his father’s department. He could not be reached for comment.

Jeffrey C. Nevins, an electronics technician for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, allegedly was hired after getting four “reject” grades. He declined to comment.

In a March 31 letter to a Blagojevich agency director who dismissed Casey, Draper alleged that “the Office of the Governor was involved in violations of personnel practices and was seeking favored treatment of persons whose applications were forwarded by Mr. Cini or his staff.”

“Mr. Cini” refers to Joseph Cini, who runs Blagojevich’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, which oversees personnel matters.

Blagojevich late last year acknowledged that Cini was involved in the federal hiring probe that included subpoenas seeking information from state agencies, including transportation, corrections and child welfare.

There’s more.

Attorney Carl Draper said DeFraties and Casey wanted to develop a computerized system for grading applicants so that evaluations of training and experience were evenhanded for everyone.

He said the governor’s office required advance information from CMS if a politically favored applicant did not get a passing grade, and DeFraties wanted to “make sure that everybody got the same information, and it didn’t matter whether your application came from the governor’s office or off the street, you got treated exactly the same.”

“They ran into roadblocks trying to implement those things,” Draper said.

After my story appeared last year, the State Journal-Register did a follow up and asked the CMS director about the personnel changes.

When asked whether Casey and DeFraties had left CMS by their own choice, then CMS director Michael Rumman said, “Largely so.”

Yeah, right.

Oh, and then there’s this:

Quinlan said the state has hired a private law firm, Schiff Hardin, at $295 an hour to continue the probe, investigating the 28 cases in which special and favorable treatment was allegedly given and exploring whether any such activities are still ongoing in state government. Quinlan said the state needed to hire the law firm because state law prevents the inspector general’s office from expanding the scope of its investigation.

One of the attorneys involved in the probe is Schiff Hardin lawyer Ron Safer, whom the administration hired months ago to handle subpoena requests for documents from federal prosecutors.

George Ryan did essentially the same thing when the feds started nosing around the secretary of state’s office. His parallel investigation helped him keep tabs on what the G was up to.

Read all four stories, because there’s lots more… And wait for the real fireworks.

One more thing. It probably doesn’t help the governor’s cause that his staff would be so disingenuous about why they did that quickie press conference yesterday.

[Ottenhof] said the announcement was made Friday because Civil Service hearings for DeFraties and Casey are coming up soon.

Bull.