rode on the coattail of evil

Miyuki MiyabeのCrossfireを読んでいます。

But the brand of evil exemplified by Asaba's mother and the gun dealer was another matter altogether. They rode on the coattails of evil--they were willing accessories to it. They brought immeasurable harm to society with their negligence and avarice. They were not purely evil like Asaba; they didn't have it in them to act independently. They were secondary evils, sticking to their primary source as long as it carried them along.
"rode on the coattails" はFlowers for Algernonを読んだ時に出てた表現で「虎の威を借る狐」と覚えたのですが、"rode on the coattails of evil" の場合ちょっと合わない気がします。再度辞書を見ます。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Benefit from the success of (another), sometimes undeservedly.: the film could ride the coattails of the hottest show on Broadway: the band is riding on the coattails of the garage-rock revival

・American Heritage Dictionary: Immediately following or as a direct result of: resigned on the coattails of the scandal.
ネガティブなことにも使われる様だがどう訳せば良いのか分からない。クロスファイヤの原文で確認した方が良さそうだ。