Oddbean new post about login | logout The state can make anything a crime. But some things are immoral and others aren't. If they aren't then they aren't wrong, no matter what the state says. It's just a question of whether we can do anything about it.
The term "money laundering" is itself a relatively recent term (e.g. no money laundering mentioned in 18th century literature). Like "obstruction of justice," money laundering victimizes the state law enforcement apparatus. It's an invention of a self-preserving bureaucracy. That the state can be "victim" of a crime is itself an absurdity. The mark of an overgrown institution more so than a true matter of morality.