Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Hacking group Team Xecuter member Gary Bowser has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for conducting pirating activity with Nintendo’s games and consoles.

Bowser will serve more than three years in a US prison and will have to pay ¥1.1 billion Japanese yen (or $10 million USD) to the Japanese gaming giant as part of an earlier settlement and another ¥517 million yen (or $4.5 million USD) in restitution.

The damage Bowser caused is estimated to be about ¥7.4 billion yen (or $65 million USD), according to the US Department of Justice.

US Attorney Nick Brown said the damage also went beyond the businesses, it also harmed video game developers and the small, creative studios whose products and hard work were “essentially stolen.”

US Special Agent Robert Hammer added that the multi-million dollar crime diverted money from creative professionals who have worked hard to create unique products and experiences.