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[Spyxos]

We heard in February 2022 that Gary Bowser, someone who has been painted as a hacker at Team Xecuter, was sentenced to 40 months of prison. However, it turns out that he's about to be released early due to good behavior (plus the time already served).

Bowser will be sent home to Canada. While that's all well and good, there's a good chance he'll be paying for the rest of his life. Bowser was sentenced to pay $10 million, which he'll most certainly be unable to meet.



So what's next? According to Bowser himself, Nintendo can take 25-30 percent of his income for the rest of his working life. This actually started when he was in prison. Bowser did manage to get a job there, but due to the low pay at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center in Washington, he was only able to pay back $175.

It's estimated that Bowser earned $320,000 from working at Team Xecuter over seven years. However, he's not the only one involved as French citizen Max Louarn is thought to be the leader of the operation (which he's denied). Louarn would face charges if he's deported to the United States, but so far he's managed to avoid that. For what it's worth, Bowser has only confessed to being the company's "salesman".

Source 1, Source 2

https://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-hacker-out-from-prison-early-due-to-good-behavior/

 

[DemonGamerTTT]

This is why a lot of people keep trying to push for crypto.

Is the perfect way for criminals to hide their dirty earned money.

 

[Skifi28]

Regardless of what he did, I'm not a supporter of corporations ruining people's entire lives financially for what is pennies to them. He's basically being made an example of, is this the middle ages?

 

[The Stig]

Yeah, that's excessive.

 

[cireza]

His life now has the Original Nintendo Seal of Quality.

 

[IDKFA]

Regardless of what he did, I'm not a supporter of corporations ruining people's entire lives financially for what is pennies to them. He's basically being made an example of, is this the middle ages?

Agreed. The prison sentence should be enough. Nintendo are ruthless.

 

[GymWolf]

Based nintendo.

 

[Fuz]

...Bowser?

 

[SeraphJan]

Poor Bowser, even IRL you are still the villain of Nintendo

 

[Doom85]

Wait, so now there are TWO real life Bowsers who have a connection to Nintendo in one way or another?! What is happening?!

Luigi, please help make sense of all this!

 

[Slothbeing1209]

"So what's next? According to Bowser himself, Nintendo can take 25-30 percent of his income for the rest of his working life."

Wtf is this shit : O

 

[The Stig]

His life now has the Original Nintendo Seal of Quality.

Damn. I feel really bad for finding that funny.

 

[Neff]

steal Poké go broke

 

[Saber]

Is this what? A war crime or something?

 

[SJRB]

Nintendo can take 30% of his monthly income for the rest of his life. Nintendo literally owns him.

Overwhelmingly cruel, considering the actual crime.

 

[NightmareFarm]

>Bowser

>Enemy of Nintendo.

I'm convinced we live in a simulation.

 

[SantaC]

Wasnt the prison sentence enough? The debt is worse.

 

[SantaC]

>Bowser

>Enemy of Nintendo.

I'm convinced we live in a simulation.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Bowser

 

[Flutta]

Leave Canada, get off grid and live somewhere else. Imagine giving Nintendo that much money for the rest of your life because of toys… smh

 

[jshackles]

"So what's next? According to Bowser himself, Nintendo can take 25-30 percent of his income for the rest of his working life."

Wtf is this shit : O

Welcome to the wonderful world of modern slavery. Court judgements like this are typically always subject to wage garnishments (at least here in the USA). We usually encounter this for stuff like deadbeats not paying their court ordered child support payments, defaulting on student loans, etc.

In most states, if the wage garnishment is "putting undue stress on your personal finances", then it can be challenged in court. However, they will only look at the percentage of your wages, and not the total bill due. This would be a completely separate case, and may encourage him and Nintendo to come to a lower settlement - maybe.

Depending on the particular details of the judgement, it may be possible to have it expelled in bankruptcy. They would take literally everything he owns, and sell it to try to pay off the outstanding debts. The rest are written off, but will stay on his credit report as a super bad mark (along with the bankruptcy itself) for 7 years. So - he'll lose his house, car, anything of value - and likely not be able to finance replacements.

Or, he could just decide to become homeless. Or disappear, fake his death, forge a new identity, and work odd jobs that pay him under the table for the rest of his life.

 

[GenericUser]

I would head straight back to jail

 

[Bragr]

Regardless of what he did, I'm not a supporter of corporations ruining people's entire lives financially for what is pennies to them. He's basically being made an example of, is this the middle ages?

I agree it's extreme, but it's not pennies, just because they are a big corp doesn't make them ignore sums of money.

It's how the law judges economic crimes in the same bracket as really evil people that's the issue.

And everyone here would do the same as Nintendo. Everyone takes what they can in court. Everyone would do the same, including everyone on here. We are all inherently cruel under the right circumstances.

 

[Danjin44]

Corporations are not your best friend, cross them and they will fuck you over, this not just with Nintendo, it's also with Sony, Microsoft and any other big companies.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

25-30% of his income? Fuck off Nintendo, just drop it at this point. I'm sure he has learned his lesson.

 

[ReBurn]

He should start a gofundme

 

[SantaC]

 

[FoxMcChief]

Not defending Nintendo, but when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. Did people suddenly forget about consequences?

 

[Cashon]

I agree it's extreme, but it's not pennies, just because they are a big corp doesn't make them ignore sums of money.

It's how the law judges economic crimes in the same bracket as really evil people that's the issue.

And everyone here would do the same as Nintendo. Everyone takes what they can in court. Everyone would do the same, including everyone on here. We are all inherently cruel under the right circumstances.

This is projection.

 

[ssringo]

Recidivism.

Regardless of whether this punishment is justified I can't see it benefiting anyone. Nintendo will never see the entire 10m and even if they did it wouldn't actually matter to them. The guy is probably fucked for life (or at least a very long time) financially which makes profitable illegal activity more enticing.

 

[SmokedMeat]

At that point you might as well embrace the consequences of prison time and devote your life to fucking Nintendo over.

 

[Captain Toad]

Poor Bowser, even IRL you are still the villain of Nintendo

With the current president we're seeing Bowser on Bowser violence. It's heartbreaking.

 

[Fuz]

This meme makes more and more sense

 

[Fbh]

Regardless of what he did, I'm not a supporter of corporations ruining people's entire lives financially for what is pennies to them. He's basically being made an example of, is this the middle ages?

Agreed.
What I don't like is that when companies screw over people they usually get a slap on the wrist (like here or here)
But if an individual screws up it's life ruining consequences.

$10 million is more than what the vast majority of people make during their entire lifetime). It's as if Nintendo/SONY had been fined $300 billion in the cases I linked above.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

He made his bed, now he has to lay in it.

 

[Bragr]

This is projection.

What isn't.

 

[AlteredForms]

If I were fined $10 million I'd be asking them to put me back into jail.

 

[kruis]

Wasnt the prison sentence enough? The debt is worse.

It would have been kinder to have him serve another 12 months in prison and scrap having to pay back 10 million dollars.

 

[Kerotan]

Wait, so now there are TWO real life Bowsers who have a connection to Nintendo in one way or another?! What is happening?!

Luigi, please help make sense of all this!

There's just no way that's his actual name.

 

[Nydius]

Wtf is this shit : O

Modern day debtor's prison. It used to be legal to imprison people over owed debts but most countries abandoned that in favor of civil judgement. However, those civil judgements are so ludicrous that you'd be better off just going to prison anyway.

Garnishing 30% of wages, unless the dude get a fantastic job (which is made harder with a criminal record), is pretty much a one way ticket to perpetual poverty and likely homelessness in the west. Prison would be a kinder fate.

 

[Fuz]

Welcome to the wonderful world of modern slavery.

This, unironically.
People keep complaining about "boomers" and how they took all, but they took all because they fought for it, tooth and nail, while the new generations are weak as fuck and willingly accept more and more restrictions on their rights and freedoms.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Nintendo can take 25-30 percent of his income for the rest of his working life.

How is this even legal? Like...he went to jail...isn't what what hail is for? He has paid the price.

Imagine leaving jail, having to find that if you find a job, 25 to 30% will go to Nintendo...wtf is this.

 

[Punished Miku]

25-30% of his income? Fuck off Nintendo, just drop it at this point. I'm sure he has learned his lesson.

I read about it in every single Switch game thread on here actually. Literally almost every one. Get ready for the tsunami of people bragging about pirating brand new games when Zelda comes out in a month.

 

[Fuz]

What I don't like is that when companies screw over people they usually get a slap on the wrist (like here or here)

This is an excellent point.

 

[Nautilus]

Not defending Nintendo, but when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. Did people suddenly forget about consequences?

Yeah. And companies are extra hard on some because they don't want to sue everyone, nor waste time on that. So they take a few people, and make an example out of them.

The dude was doing illegal stuff, and now people are surprised that he is reaping the rewards? That's how life is.

 

[Exede]

Isn't this like super speculation? People begin to act against Nintendo before they have even madr the first step. Some just love to lighten up their torches.

 

[SeraphJan]

This is an excellent point.

Wiegraf knows

 

[Robb]

Man Nintendo don't mess around..

This guy is probably extremely unlucky to be set as an example towards others of what can happen if you do something similar. I would guess the entire point is to make his sentence as horrible as possible just to deter others.

 

[Kacho]

Gary Bowser, 52, pleaded guilty for his role in a group that sold pirated video games for devices like the Nintendo Switch, costing companies more than $65 million, prosecutors said.

Wow who could have guessed that doing this might ruin your life?

 

[KungFucius]

Regardless of what he did, I'm not a supporter of corporations ruining people's entire lives financially for what is pennies to them. He's basically being made an example of, is this the middle ages?

Agreed. Our legal system is sick. It promotes the idea of making an example out of people which is not remotely just. All he did was try to monetize a hack that was available for free elsewhere, but now he has to pay back 30x what he made or 25% of his life's earnings. It is crappy, but it is not as if he made Switch Piracy possible. FFS people are pirating Switch games via emulation on PC. I'm sure Nintendo wishes that emulator makers charged money so they could bake lawsuit income into their business plans.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Agreed. Our legal system is sick. It promotes the idea of making an example out of people which is not remotely just. All he did was try to monetize a hack that was available for free elsewhere, but now he has to pay back 30x what he made or 25% of his life's earnings. It is crappy, but it is not as if he made Switch Piracy possible. FFS people are pirating Switch games via emulation on PC. I'm sure Nintendo wishes that emulator makers charged money so they could bake lawsuit income into their business plans.

Maybe don't do the crime in the first place?

The bro pleaded guilty, so it's hard for me to feel bad for the criminal.