Nintendo hacker Bowser released from prison, he has to pay for life

Post author:California18
Post published:April 18, 2023
Post category:Sci&Tech
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For many years, Nintendo fought against the hacking/modding group Team Xecuter, which made it possible to play illegally copied Switch games. In the end they were successful, perhaps the best known, Gary Bowser, ended up in prison – and has now been released.

Bowser was sentenced to 40 months in prison in 2022 and because he has already served part of it in custody and now good behavior has also been included, he has been released by the US authorities. While Bowser is the most prominent name in this case, he wasn’t one of Team Xecuter’s big fish. The Canadian, who went by the nickname “GaryOPA,” was believed to be the group’s salesperson or agent.

Bowser’s financial involvement was minimal, but he did not deny being a member of the group and pleaded guilty accordingly. Nevertheless, he got a relatively severe prison sentence, the responsible judge wanted to make an example of Bowser.

Returned to Canada, lifelong debt

How TorrentFreak reports, Bowser initially feared that he would not be able to enter his native Canada due to a lack of documents, but he has been given a new passport and will be allowed to enter Canada soon.

However, his problems are far from over, on the contrary: Bowser owes Nintendo ten million dollars in damages. He’s already repaid some of that for working in prison – but it’s a ridiculously small amount.

“I was making monthly payments of $25 that they took out of my income because I had a job in federal prison. I’ve paid $175 so far,” Bowser said in a recent interview with Nick Moses, revealing it that he has been free for a good two weeks.

As soon as he finds a job in Canada, he will pay off the damages – and will probably do so for the rest of his life: “The agreement with them says that they can demand a maximum of 25 to 30 percent of the monthly gross income. And I have up to six months to before I have to start making payments,” Bowser said.

Summary

For years, Nintendo fought against Team Xecuter, who made illegal Switch games possible.
Gary Bowser, the most famous representative, was sentenced to 40 months in prison.
He owes Nintendo $10 million, which he’ll probably have to spend his life paying off.
Bowser has paid off $175 so far, with 25-30% of his earnings going forward.
He’s been free for two weeks.

See also:

Gaming, Console, Logo, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Game Console, Game Consoles, Switch, Nintendo Console, Red, Nintendo Logo