A hacker has been ordered to pay Nintendo $10 million.
But surprisingly, he's called it a 'blessing.'
The man in question was Gary Bowser (the irony of the Mario character in a court case with Nintendo is real) and he's been ordered to pay 25 - 35% of his salary to Nintendo for the rest of his life.
Bowser spoke to UNILAD about his role in the hacking scheme and mentioned that he was 'maintaining' the company's 'two big websites.'
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He said: 'My role was basically to post the news of updates and keep the forums running, and later on I got involved as middleman between the developers and those selected to beta test updates and review new products.'
He said he was paid a salary of $500 a month plus ad revenue from one of the websites, which ranged from $1,000 to $3,000 per month.
Originally from Canada, Bowser moved to the Dominican Republic, thinking there wasn’t much risk in his activities. But he was wrong as he was arrested and sentenced to 40 months in US prison.
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According to his reports to The Guardian, he could have fought the allegations but fighting against 13 charges would have cost time and money.
In 2023, he was granted early release, but he still owes the Japanese company $10 million in restitution and a $4.5 million fine.
In an attempt to pay off his debt without leaving himself basically bankrupt, Bowser agreed that a portion of his salary would go to the company.
However, it's not been without its setbacks as he's now admitted to struggling to secure a stable job and so is relying on money for his disability and support from a GoFundMe page.
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According to the 54-year old, a lot of companies are recruiting younger workers with experience in technology: 'I need to do some online courses to get more updated papers to match my skills.'
He continued: 'Just a few weeks ago the government approved my disability, so now starting in June at least my basic bills will be covered, my rent and utilities, but it's still going to be tough food-wise.'
With all that in mind, Bowser has admitted to not paying off his debt to the major gaming company anytime soon.
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Instead he views the whole experience as a blessing.
'Life is path of choices, I made the wrong one, that is for sure, but in some ways I look at result now, after all this happened, as a blessing,' he explained.