In the USA stolen property is stolen property and can be reclaimed by the original owner.
Someone sold you a stolen Corvette. You sold it and bought Christmas presents for all your family. Can they come after the presents, or even the cash equivalent - when you no longer have it? That could bankrupt an innocent person, adding to the list of victims.
Don’t get me wrong. You might be right, but if so, it just tells me how unfair our justice system is.
BTW, when I sold commercial real estate back in the early 80’s in Seattle, there was a notorious pair of fellows who did a very interesting real estate scam, and it even hit the news one time. This was the common tale and what happened in that particular story: “Joe’s investments” would buy a house at foreclosure auction (failure to pay property taxes) dirt cheap, and then immediately sell it to “Frank’s construction”, his friend and sort of partner, for a VERY good price.
In the case that hit the news, the reporters interviewed Joe about giving the property back to the poor old lady that was outside the country and came back to see her fully paid for house was sold at auction for tax delinquency. He said, TO THE REPORTER, “It’s out of my hands because I already sold the property.”
That’s why I hinted, in my earlier response, that if the person who got the cash was somehow in partnership with the fraudsters, they should be required to give it back.
What you’re trying to say is cash is fungible. And yes, a dollar is a dollar, but if you can prove your money was stolen you can claw it back (to some degree).
Especially if that money was given in cash as a “donation”.