For the first time since his release from prison, Nintendo pirate Gary Bowser has gone into detail about his experience and his ongoing struggles to pay fines to the company.
In an interview with The Guardian, Bowser spoke to his life before, during, and after prison. Bowser first got involved with piracy in the late 2000s, when he began to work with Team Xecuter on bypassing anti-piracy measures. He was something of a “middleman” between the programmers breaking code and the testers who would troubleshoot devices.
He was arrested in September 2020, while living in the Dominican Republic. Bowser said, “The day that it happened, I was sleeping in my bed, it was four in the morning, I’d been drinking all night, and suddenly I wake up and see three people surrounding my bed with rifles aimed at my head … they dragged me out of the place, put me in the back of a pickup truck and drove me to the Interpol office.”
He was then incarcerated in various prisons. Because he was moved at the height of the COVID lockdowns, every move was subject to COVID protocols that required him to be on his own. Despite those precautions, he contracted COVID and spent two weeks incredibly sick.
Bowser has been accused of fraud and is the subject of a civil lawsuit by Nintendo. Although Bowser claims he could have fought in this case, it would have required a lot of time and money. He says it was less complicated to plead guilty and be punished on fewer charges. Direct criminal sentences are given in web piracy cases, but Bowser said the case was meant to serve as an example. He said: “The sentence was like a message to the other people who are still there. “, that if they get caught. . . [they] will serve a difficult sentence. “Nintendo’s representatives also said this. He now has to pay 20-30% of his source of income after paying essential expenses like rent to cover some of the $14. 5 million he owes Nintendo.
Bowser has elephantiasis in his left leg, which was exacerbated by his prison time. He goes to physical therapy three times a week, which further contributes to his financial struggles. He is estranged from his family and relies on help from his friends (via GoFundMe) to make ends meet.
Bowser was sentenced to 40 months of criminal sentencing in February 2022. He was accused of his involvement with the aforementioned Team Xecuter, which created a homemade operating formula that allowed you to swap out Nintendo Switches to play pirated games. Bowser was released in early April 2023 for intelligent behavior, but had continued to pay fines to Nintendo.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email [email protected]
Use your keyboard!
Log in to comment