4 ms·

Rephrased more generally, is it ethical to accept donations arising from criminal enterprises? I think most people would say that the answer is no. This topic

• pledess 4y ago
  Agreed! It demonstrates how dramatically the answer changes depending on exactly how you ask the question. Suppose Lincoln could get $50 million (with those funds ultimately sourced from a criminal enterprise) in each of four different scenarios. I asked 8 people locally and here's how many would take the money. (A) The government tracks down the ransomware guy, seizes his assets, and decides that $50 million is Lincoln's fair share to reimburse Lincoln's losses (8 of 8 would take the money). (B) Lincoln tracks down the ransomware guy, takes him to court, and wins a civil judgment of $50 million (8 of 8 would take the money). (C) Lincoln tracks down the ransomware guy, their lawyers show proof of Lincoln's losses and how much they could potentially win in a civil trial, and the parties agree to a $50 million out-of-court settlement (7 of 8 would take the money). (D) A ransomware criminal proactively contacts Lincoln, the criminal won't comment on whether he had any role in harming Lincoln (and Lincoln doesn't know either), but the criminal offers to donate $50 million to Lincoln anyway (2 of 8 would take the money).