I don't think the OP trolled them. It's their mistake, and he pointed out the mistake. "We'll hire a contractor to do whatever they want with your computer, o

I don't think the OP trolled them. It's their mistake, and he pointed out the mistake. "We'll hire a contractor to do whatever they want with your computer, or you go to jail." is not a fair way of resolving the situation. It cover's the mistake-maker's ass at great cost to the person who reported the mistake. Would you ever use a computer again if someone else of unknown intent had unlimited access to it for an extended period of time? I certainly wouldn't. The suggested remedy isn't even effective. You can't prove that you deleted something. It could all be on an SD card buried under a rock somewhere, regardless of what the consultant finds. Frankly, given the track record of cooperation, the first offer should have been "just delete them and sign an affidavit attesting to that" which is exactly what happened.