In February 2022, Gary Bowser, a member of the Team Xecuter hacking operation, a longtime target of Nintendo’s lawyers,was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his part in helping run a business that reportedly earned him more than $300,000.

However, thanks to a combination of time already served and good behavior in prison, Bowser is about to be released and sent to Canada. On the eve of his departure, he is awaiting transport to Toronto with a new passport, Bowser sat down for an interview with NickMoses 05 (thank you torrentfreak) to discuss the events surrounding his imprisonment and impending release.

As I said at the time of his sentencing, even though Bowser was guilty of a crime and confessed to it in a court of law, I still think it is interesting and important to look at the details of his treatment. that show the extent to which companies like Nintendo pursue these cases through the American legal systemand the severity of the punishments applied.

While Bowser was convicted, served prison time, and is about to be released, his punishment is not over. In fact, he will pay for his crimes for the rest of his life. because the damages Nintendo was ordered to pay at the time of its judgment—a total of $10 million—are so astronomical that you’ll probably never get it right.

Bowser says that Nintendo can keep 25-30% of his income for the rest of his working life. They started the process while he was still in prison; Like many American inmates, Bowser was able to work (so he is essentially spare change) while behind bars, and over the course of his time at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center in Washington he was able to pay… $ 175.

Bowser was one of two men arrested in connection with Team Xecuter. Although he is commonly referred to as a “hacker” in media reports, he actually confessed to being the “salesman” for the company, reportedly earning $320,000 over seven years of work. The other, the French citizen Max Louarn, supposedly the leader of the operation (a role he denies), has so far managed to avoid deportation to the US to face chargesalthough it is believed that he helped the company to make millions in the course of its operation.