A man sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a Nintendo Switch hacking scheme has been released early. But he says he will have to pay Nintendo a portion of the income he earns each month for a very long time as part of a $10 million settlement with the company.
In a podcast interview (first reported by TorrentFreak), Gary Bowser, 53, said he was released early from federal prison in Seattle due to his age, medical condition and nationality (he is Canadian). Soon he will return to the Toronto area. But Bowser noted that his plea deal requires him to pay Nintendo $10 million in restitution.
“The deal with them is that they can take a maximum of between 25 and 30% of your monthly gross income,” says Bowser. told podcaster Nick Moses. “And I have about six months before I have to start paying.”
Bowser was arrested in the Dominican Republic in October 2020 and was one of three members of Team Xecuter, which developed and sold devices to hack into video game consoles, including the Nintendo Switch. He pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges in November 2021. In that plea, Bowser admitted to selling tools that hacked Nintendo Switch consoles that his customers used to get Switch games for free.
In December 2021 he has agreed to pay Nintendo $10 million to settle a civil lawsuit filed against him by Nintendo. Bowser’s criminal conviction also called for a $4.5 million fine, but since he’s returning to Canada, Bowser said he probably won’t have to pay it.
It’s also unlikely that Nintendo will ever see the full amount. So far, Bowser said, he’s paid Nintendo $175 from the money he earned working in the prison library and kitchen. He also has health issues that limit his mobility. Bowser said on the podcast that he was grateful to be returning to Canada for the access to health care and disability insurance that he is afforded.