In a matter of some notoriety, the Illinois Supreme Court entered an order permitting the attorney to practice under conditions for one year.
The conditions include refraining from alcohol and non-prescription drug use, random testing and other conditions of supervision.
From the Chicago Tribune
A Chicago attorney and former chief of staff at a state health care agency, who allegedly exposed her breasts to co-workers, came to work drunk and kept nude photos of herself on state computers, is facing sanctions from Illinois’ attorney disciplinary body.
But an attorney for Tamara Tanzillo, 52, says the complaint from the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission is in retaliation for Tanzillo’s refusal to fall in line with improper orders during the Rod Blagojevich administration.
“She’s feeling the penalty imposed for refusing to do political work while employed by the state,” said Stephen Komie, who last month filed a 32-page whistle-blower lawsuit on Tanzillo’s behalf.
Komie said he vigorously will defend his client against the allegations in the complaint.
Tanzillo, who formerly used the last name Hoffman, was fired from her $118,000-a-year job with the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services in November 2009 after an inspector general report found she had gone shopping while on the clock and engaged in “arguably decadent personal behavior.”
The IARDC complaint, which was just made public, alleges that Tanzillo engaged in conduct that brought “the legal profession into disrepute” while working for the state.
In July 2007 she allegedly arrived to work smelling of alcohol, informing a guard that the “Boss Lady” had arrived before dancing the hula inside an elevator, according to the complaint.
Tanzillo allegedly twice exposed her chest to female co-workers, asking what they thought of her breast implants. She also allegedly exposed her breasts to two state officials at a Springfield tavern in 2008, according to the complaint.
In January 2009, Tanzillo allegedly came to the Springfield office around 1:30 a.m. while barefoot, wearing “sleepwear” and accompanied by an unidentified man, according to the complaint. She requested a key for the executive offices.
A guard allegedly saw the two “hugging and kissing” as they stepped into an elevator. The two left the building five hours later, according to the complaint.
The IARDC complaint alleges that Tanzillo engaged in criminal conduct, referring to a 2009 telephone harassment charge filed against her by Champaign County prosecutors.
Tanzillo allegedly threatened a woman who was dating the same person she was, according to the complaint. The charge was dismissed after Tanzillo completed a deferral program, the complaint says. Komie said the charge was simply dropped.
She is also accused of breach of fiduciary duty and conduct involving fraud for allegedly inflating her timecards and shopping while she said she was at work, according to the complaint.