A member of a team that hacked Nintendo consoles has been released from prison, but is now likely to spend the rest of his life paying the game company $10 million in damages.
Nintendo Hacker to Pay Nintendo for the Rest of His Life After Prison Release
Gary Bowser Owes Game Company $10 Million in Damages
A member of the hacking group Team Xecuter is set to pay Nintendo up to 30 percent of his gross monthly income for life. Gary Bowser (yes, that's his real name), who was imprisoned for helping sell devices that allowed playing illegal ROMs on Nintendo consoles, said on Friday that he had to pay a total of $10 million in damages to the Japanese game company.
Bowser said in an online interview with gaming podcaster NickMoses05 that he had so far paid only $175 out of his multi-million dollar restitution. He earned the money by working in prison. The Canadian national had just been released early from his original 40-month sentence due to good behavior and was bound to be sent back home to Toronto.
Gary Bowser is one of two members of Team Xecuter arrested back in 2020 for charges of conspiracy to circumvent technological measures and trafficking of circumvention devices. The second Team Xecuter member that was arrested, French citizen Max Louarn, had been released from prison shortly after his arrest and is currently living in France.
Team Xecuter is known for making mod chips and jailbreaking game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS. Federal prosecutors have claimed that Team Xecuter's sales of these devices had cost Nintendo and other companies more than $65 million in losses.
