Gary Bowser is fined $15 million and should set an example for other hackers.
A court has forced a Nintendo console hacker to pay off a $15 million debt for the rest of his life. Canadian Gary Bowser is being forced to find a job and pay off his lawsuit debt. Considering he’s 51 years old, it’s unlikely he’ll have enough time to pay the full amount in his lifetime.
Gary Bowser used to hack into Nintendo’s Japanese consoles as a member of the hacker group Team Xecuter. He was caught by law enforcement and in February 2022 the Canadian citizen was sentenced to 40 months in prison in the United States. In addition, the court ordered him to pay a fine of $15 million.
Nintendo debtor for the rest of his life
Although Gary Bowser was originally supposed to serve 40 months in prison, he was released after about a year for good behavior. However, according to the court order, the hacker will have to find a job within six months of his release. After that, he will have to give 30% of his monthly salary to pay off the debt.
Technically, Bowser has already served his sentence. However, he is still obliged to pay the fine. According to the case file, Bowser will have to pay a subsidiary of Nintendo of America $10 million. In addition, he will also have to pay $4.5 million in restitution.
To date, Bowser’s prospects are quite bleak. So far, the hacker has only managed to pay $175 in damages. He has earned this money from his work in prison. Despite the seeming severity of the punishment, Nintendo believes that this case will serve as a good precedent for hackers. The Japanese firm is now conducting an active anti-piracy campaign. Recently, representatives of Nintendo stated that they have allocated $65 million to combat piracy. Among those mentioned were actions aimed at countering Team Xecuter, of which Bowser was a member.