Gary Bowser, known for his involvement in a group that hacked Nintendo consoles, has been released from prison. However, he will most likely have to pay part of his income to the Japanese company for the rest of his life.
In an interview with blogger Nick Moses (thanks, TorrentFreak), Bowser said he was released from federal prison on March 28. He is currently at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, awaiting the return to his home country of Canada.
Bowser was the member of Team Xecuter, a hacker group that has been responsible for hacking Nintendo hardware, including Switch. He together with two other group members were arrested in September 2020.
It is worth noting that Bowser wasn’t directly involved in the hacking process, serving more as a public figure representing the group. Known online as GaryOPA, he was paid just $500-1000 a mont for his work.
However, Bowser, as well as the two other arrested hackers, faced 11 felony counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, trafficking in circumvention devices, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Last February, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 months in prison, also agreeing to pay $4.5 million in restitution and another $10 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Nintendo.
Following his early release last month, Bowser still owes $10 million to Nintendo, which remains the main restitution priority. He has only paid $175 so far, which was taken from his monthly income in prison where he had a job.
“The agreement with them is that the maximum they can take is 25% to 30% of your gross monthly income,” Bowser told Nick Moses. “And I have up to six months before I have to start making payments.” The issue is that the former Team Xecuter member will probably have to make monthly payments to Nintendo for the rest of his life.
You can watch the full interview below.