Gary Bowser, who was sentenced to 40 months in prison in 2021 and fined $14.5 million for his role in Nintendo hacking group Team Xecuter, has been released from prison. However, the huge amount of money he currently owes for restitution could affect the rest of his life and livelihood.
koopa is Indicted in 2020 along with Max Louarn and Yuanning Chen. For his work as a member of Team Xecuter, a hacking ring that sells chips that allow users to play pirated games. Despite his seemingly small role as marketing and PR manager, Bowser was one of three people who were ultimately tried and convicted in the United States. Luan was never extradited to the United States.
Bowser was initially charged with 11 felony counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy to evade technological means, trafficking in evasive devices, and conspiracy to launder money. Bowser pleaded guilty to two charges, first he was fined $4.5 million, later he was sentenced to an additional fine of $10 million and up to 40 months in prison.
recently Interview with podcaster Nick Moses, Bowser calls from the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, rather than from Seattle’s federal detention center SeaTac, where he was imprisoned. He says he was released from prison early because he behaved well and is awaiting processing before being deported to Canada.
Bowser claims he has only been able to repay $175 so far of the $14.5 million he owes, and paid $25 monthly in installments from his work at the prison library. He says that if he finds a job at , his salary will continue to be deducted until he’s paid in full, but his contract with Nintendo only allows between 25% and 30% to be paid at any one time. Previously, Bowser said that while Team Xecuter earned “at least tens of millions of dollars in revenue”, he himself received only a fraction of it.
Nintendo has historically been very aggressive in dealing with hackers and other perceived piracy. Former influencer, modder, ROM site, and even other video games. During Bowser’s trials, U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnick was quoted as saying: Bowser’s ruling was part of a “message” to deter other hackers.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. you can find her on her twitter @duck valentine.
