A video game hacker, a prominent member of a group that sold pirated video games to Nintendo and other companies at a cost of over $ 65 million, was sentenced to 40 months in prison in federal court in Washington State on Thursday. The prosecutor said.
Hacker Gary Bowser, 52, was guilty of two fellows in October for his role in Team Xecuter, which sold illegal devices that could play pirated video games on consoles such as Nintendo Switch, Sony PlayStation Classic, and Microsoft. I admitted. Xbox, a US law firm in the western part of Washington, statement On thursday.
As part of his plea, Canadian Kuppa, who lived in the Dominican Republic at the time of his arrest in September 2020, agreed to pay Nintendo of the United States $ 4.5 million in compensation.
“The damage goes beyond these businesses, to video game developers and small creative studios where products and hard work are essentially stolen,” US lawyer Nick Brown said in a statement. It’s causing damage. “
Under the terms of the agreement with the prosecutor, Mr. Kuppa pleaded guilty to plots to evade technical measures and trafficking of evasion devices, and trafficking of evasion devices, the prosecutor said. Several other accusations against him have been withdrawn.
The prosecution called Bowser the “prominent leader” of Team Xecuter, a video game piracy group that includes an online library of pirated video games in its products. With more than 12 members around the world, the group also sells “detour devices” that allow users to hack consoles such as Nintendo Switch, a popular handheld device that allows users to download games such as Super Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros. Did. ..
Mr. Bowser ran the group’s website and answered customer questions, the prosecutor said.
“Mr. Kuppa is responsible for stealing millions of dollars in profits,” said Donald M. Boire, a special agent for the FBI’s Seattle field office, in a statement from a US law firm. The Bureau and the Department of Homeland Security were involved in the case.
and statement Nintendo thanked federal officials on Thursday for its efforts to “stop global illicit activity that would seriously harm Nintendo and the video game industry.”
Michael Filipovic, one of Bowser’s lawyers, did not immediately return the phone or email for comment on Thursday.
According to prosecutors, Mr. Bowser was deported from the Dominican Republic after being arrested in September 2020. He was charged with the other two. Max Ruane, France, 49 years old. And Yuanning Chen from China, 36 years old. Emily Langley, a spokeswoman for a US law firm, said Thursday that they had not yet been handed over to the United States for prosecution.
In a memorandum of understanding filed for Mr. Bowser last week, his lawyer wrote that he was “bearing the brunt” of the government’s prosecution. According to the lawyer, he had never met the co-defendant in person and “had the least profit” from the company.
“His generosity was used by others,” his lawyer wrote. “In this case, Louarn used Bowser as the public face of the company.”
Video game hackers Become an increasing threat In recent years, it has become a gaming company as attackers steal code and reduce corporate profits. In June, Hackers claimed to have stolen the source code For FIFA, a popular soccer game created by the video game company Electronic Arts.
