I’m a bit on the fence here, because the bar is being set at “corresponding with” rather than “associating with”. Perhaps you need to get in touch with some government official or some billionaire to get something done, and someone you know knows a guy who could put you in touch with them, so you send that guy an email. You just corresponded with someone. Would you have done a thorough background check on the middle man before sending an email?

I mean, I don’t know if these cases are like that or not, but corresponding with someone doesn’t in itself imply any kind of affiliation or knowledge about the person you communicate with.