I think what PMICT is saying though one is most assuredly malicious - keeping keys - while screwing up loads is not necessarily malicious and is more along the lines of negligence.
we do know he was traveling - he may not have access to anything that would allow him to verify claims and/or access to the funds.
Do I think he is in the right? hell no.
but I think of it along the lines of like microsoul was - you never know if you will get your funds. It was more of screwing up vs trying to steal with microsoul - I think the same is here for the 1hodlclub.
He def should have followed up and funded coins as soon as they arrived - no doubt about it. just simply holding funds because they never let you know it arrived - meh, that's bs.
But i also know that some coins were melted - and some people begged for not having their "funded" coins actually funded. so not every "funded" coin address should necessarily be funded. But this is where that transparency is lacking.
He owes a lot of people, isn’t communicating with them & has made sales on Twitter since this was brought to light. A con is a con 🤷🏻♂️
It's possible not loading some coins whose owners never followed up was a premeditated way to soft scam, and given his lack of communication for several months it is not a huge leap. If that is possible, it is also possible the private keys were kept.
What I am saying, and I think Yoda is as well, is that if Mr. Hodl soft scammed by not funding coins which should be funded there is a non zero chance they are also holding onto the private keys.