He is a known 'associate' of criminals. [=he is known to associate with criminals; people know that he works with or spends time with criminals]
She was promoted from assistant editor to 'associate' editor and may soon be promoted to senior editor.
He was 'associated' [='connected, identified'] 'with' a group of radicals in the government.
(..) I'd say, "Where's the swimming pool?" Where's the gold cage with the falcons? And why does he send his courier... to the two cities in Pakistan, we most associate with al-Qaeda, that have nothing particularly to do with heroin production. The president is a thoughtful, Go ahead, you guys. (..)2012 Zero Dark Thirty