I think the facts of the case would imply he really isn't. Sounds like he had good intentions and no deliberate malice, but he did something bad anyway.
Another interpretation is: Someone can be "a stand-up guy" and still fuck up this badly.
More generally, at some point you might find yourself thinking: that would be an obviously unethical and stupid thing to do, and this person is a stand-up guy, so he won't do it. What this case suggests is that that's not enough.
(AdamSC1, I'm curious. Suppose it was a couple months ago, or before you heard that this was happening. If you'd been asked then, whether Mohland would ever do the thing that he has since done, what do you think you would have said?)
I dealt with him a great deal in a previous business, he is an individual who is absolutely reputable. The kind of person where had he asked to borrow a decent sum of money, I'd have probably wired it to him without much of a second thought.
Further more, I know how much he loved this business and the Dogecoin community. From what I had heard, of his talks with investors and even the bank he used for the business, his top priority was always his users.
That's why, while it is shocking that he did this, I know it wasn't from malice.
I was a part of the Dogecoin community early on, and was a moderator of their sub-Reddit. I've helped organize with the fundraisers for sending the Jamaican Bobsled team to Sochi, and sponsoring a NASCAR driver, I even hosted a ridiculous art contest for the community. Unlike other cryptocurrencies, Dogecoin wasn't about being a financial investment, it was a community. It was about being part of something bigger than yourself, and doing something positive in a world that is sometimes pretty shitty.
When you consider that Mohland dedicated his life to that community and his work on the DogeTipBot, I have no doubt that it became a part of his identity. He didn't want to let people down, and that's not surprising. People make these mistakes all the time. Ask any father who tries to buy nice things for his kids while he is barely making ends meat. He'll stack on credit card debt, while forcing a smile to his wife and kids at dinner time because he doesn't want to let anyone down.
It sounds like Mohland was in the same boat. He thought he could pull through with something risky, but it didn't work, and when you are deep in on a gamble like there is this part of you that snaps and just keeps doubling-up because you are so afraid of what happens if it all comes crashing down.
It's probably been 2-3 years since I was last in touch with Mohland, but even after this I'd stand by the statement he IS a reputable man, he just made a mistake trying to save something he loved. I think this sentiment is echo'd most clearly in the messages of support, and not anger, that he received from the Dogecoin community. The same people who lost their money were posting requests to try and help keep DogeTipBot financially a float, and Mohland has outlined a payment plan to pay off everyone's debts over time and is allowing that process to be mediated by Dogecoin's creator.
In life we make mistakes, but that doesn't define the character of a man; their character is what is defined in the moments after.
I think the facts of the case would imply he really isn't. Sounds like he had good intentions and no deliberate malice, but he did something bad anyway.