Can you bust a TFR while operating under IFR?
This is a letter from AOPA that was published in Aero News Network, based on a query made to the FAA on this very topic.

My interpretation of this is that there is no definitive answer, and that both the pilot and the controller have a responsibility, which may answer the question regarding why both parties were suspended in case described in the OP's post.


  Hello Mr. Ward,
  
  Your email was forwarded to us here in the Air Traffic department of
  AOPA. I contacted FAA headquarters for an official response to your
  question and received the following explanation:  Guess you could say
  it is the responsibility of both the pilot and air traffic controller:
  
  FAA Order 7110.65 states that ATC shall vector aircraft for separation
  and safety. This includes vectoring aircraft around TFRs as well as
  traffic. For the pilot, the applicable regulation is 14 CFR 91.103
  which pertains to preflight action and states that "Each pilot in
  command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all
  available information concerning that flight," which includes TFRs.
  Additional regulations are covered in 14 CFR 91.13 and whichever CFR
  promulgated the TFR (e.g. 14 CFR 91.137; 14 CFR 91.138; 14 CFR 91.139;
  14 CFR 91.141; 14 CFR 91.143; 14 CFR 91.145)
  
  From a legal standpoint TFR avoidance is a joint responsibility. (This
  is in no way to be construed as a legal interpretation from FAA's
  legal staff). A pilot should not file an IFR flight through a TFR. If
  they did and that flight violated the TFR, they are subject to
  enforcement action.
  
  From an Air Traffic Quality Assurance standpoint, a controller should
  not allow an IFR or VFR flight that they are working to fly though a
  TFR. If they did, they would be subject to an Operational Deviation.
  However, looking at the totality of the circumstances: It is the
  pilot-in-command's (PIC's) duty to know exactly where the airspace is,
  just as it is ATC's responsibility to know where the airspace is. If
  ATC gave the pilot a vector that was going to take the aircraft right
  into the TFR and the pilot did not question the controller (just as if
  s/he would if being vectored into an area of known thunderstorms) then
  it is still the final responsibility of the pilot to question the
  clearance, just as it would be ATC's responsibility to question a
  pilot who wanted to fly directly through a TFR. Luckily, we are not
  aware of any instance where a controller let an IFR aircraft fly into
  a TFR. However, we are aware of many cases where pilots filed flights
  directly through TFRs and thought that ATC would vector them around,
  but instead, the pilot departed VFR expecting to pick up an IFR
  clearance in the air. While waiting for ATC to respond and issue a
  clearance the pilot flew through the TFR. In those cases, FAA
  suspended pilot certificates from 30 to 150 days.
  
  There is no question that it is bad operating practice to file an IFR
  flight through a TFR. During flight planning, pilots should avoid
  TFRs. Arguably, to deliberately file a flight plan through a known
  TFR, in and of itself, would be a violation of 14 CFR 91.103.
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  Heidi J. Williams
  
  Manager
  
  [emphasis mine]