A hacker who agreed to pay Nintendo 25-30 percent of his salary for the rest of his life has revealed he's not got a full-time job after being released from prison.
Despite sharing a name with a Mario character, Gary Bowser, from Canada, told UNILAD he was always more of an Xbox and PS2 fan than a Nintendo player.
However, as he got more into technology and computers, Bowser found himself becoming more familiar with Nintendo games - although not in the way you might think.
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Bowser became involved in the hacking group called Team Xecuter, where he worked to maintain 'the two big websites' for the group which created mod chips, cartridges and jailbreaking software for game consoles, essentially making games free to use.
Needless to say, this wasn't a lawful way to make money, and in October 2020 Bowser was arrested for his role in the scheme.
He was released from prison three years later, but he still owed Nintendo $10 million in restitution - a debt he agreed to try and pay off by giving Nintendo a chunk of his salary each month.
Bowser's repayment began with money he'd made working in the prison library, through which he managed to pay Nintendo $25 each month.
By April 2023, Bowser said he'd managed to pay off just $175 of the $10 million.
One year on, Bowser still has a long way to go.
"Unless magically I win the lottery or get a book deal or something amazing happens and I end up getting high-paying job, this is just going to be looming figure over me for many years to come," he told UNILAD.
Since leaving prison, Bowser has been unable to secure a full-time job due to medical issues including a lymphedema on his leg, as well as the obstacle of a dated education.
He explained: "I have been out of Canada for over ten years, plus I am now 55 years old, and even though my skills for computers are great, my schooling is from the 80s and 90s.
"A lot of companies are looking for younger workers with latest certifications in technology, so I need to do some online courses to get more updated papers to match my skills."
For money, Bowser has been relying on disability payments, support from a GoFundMe page and the money he saved from his time behind bars.
He has recently been able to pick up some freelance work for clients who needed websites building, but he's hopeful he'll be able to find something more permanent soon.
"Now with my government disability secured it will help reduce the stress to find outside job money, but it is still needed.
"I am allowed to earn up to $1000 per month on top of my disability after expenses and such, so that will be good if I can secure some type of monthly income between a small job I can do remotely or couple of days in the office before the end of this 2024 year."
Topics: Nintendo, Crime, Gaming, Technology, Money, GoFundMe
Emily Brown