This article was an interesting read. It goes into detail about Gary Bowser's life growing up, his role in Team Xecuter, what his life is like today, and his thoughts about his $14.5m fine to Nintendo.
Some choice quotes:
“I started becoming a middleman in between the people doing the development work, and the people actually owning the mod chips, playing the games,” [Gary Bowser] says. “I would get feedback from the testers, and then I would send it to the developers … I can handle people, and that’s why I ended up getting more involved.”
Bowser was charged with fraud over his connection to Team Xecuter. While in custody, he was also hit with a civil suit from Nintendo. Between the civil and criminal cases, he was ordered to pay $14.5m.
Pirates are usually fined in court, but Bowser’s case was meant to draw attention. “The sentence was like a message to other people that [are] still out there, that if they get caught … [they’ll] serve hard time,” he says. As he tells it, Bowser didn’t make or develop the products that sent him to prison; he “just” updated the websites that told people what they could buy, and kept them informed about what was coming next.
Bowser maintains that he could have fought the allegations, and that other members of the hacking group remain at large. But fighting against 13 charges would have cost time and money. It was easier, he claims, to plead guilty and only deal with a couple of the charges. As a part of that agreement, Bowser now has to send Nintendo 20-30% of any money left over after he pays for necessities such as rent.
“I’ll pay them what I can, which won’t be very much money, that’s for sure,” he says. Despite his predicament, Bowser counts his blessings. “It could be a lot worse,” he says. Bowser has now managed to secure housing, and he thinks that after rent, he has a couple of hundred dollars leftover for food and other necessities. He assumes he’ll be turning to food support services.
Yeah, I might be an idiot on this, but imo Nintendo and whoever judged this case have committed a far more egregious crime. Nothing Bowser did hurt a single soul anywhere near as much as Nintendo and that judge has decided to hurt him in retaliation. Some numbers were slightly less high as some people might speculate they could have been. That’s it. Fuck Nintendo. Fuck their inhumanity and the same of their judge.
Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to me. I wonder if he could still fight it. Sure doesn't sound too bad until you realize that it's literally only to make an example out of someine while ruining his entire life for a crime with no victim.
Yeah like, in one section it says they’re only supposed to take out of what’s left once necessities are covered, and in another it says he gets help from friends and family for food and clothes. Those are necessities!