Gary Bowser, who was arrested more than a year ago for his involvement in a piracy group known for its exploitation of various companies’ video game console devices, including Nintendo, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today.<\/p>
\u201cAs the voice and public face of these sophisticated cybercriminals for years, Mr. Bowser bears responsibility for stealing millions of dollars in profit and victim losses from the intellectual property of others,\u201d FBI Special Agent Donald Voiret said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cHe also wasted the efforts of legitimate companies as they attempted to build protections for their products.\u201d<\/p>
The U.S. government had suggested Bowser be sentenced to five years in prison<\/a>, in addition to the two fines totaling nearly $15 million Bowser has agreed to pay to Nintendo. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said the “piracy scheme” of Team Xecuter, the group of which Bowser was a part, had caused more than $65 million to video game companies.<\/p>
