TORONTO -- Authorities in the U.S. have accused a Canadian man of being one of the ringleaders of a group that allegedly created devices to bypass video game systems' security measures, allowing users to play pirated copies of games.

Gary Bowser, 51, is one of three people named in a federal indictment that was unsealed on Friday following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Bowser and his co-accused – Max Louarn of France and Yuanning Chen of China – were "leaders of one of the world's most notorious videogame piracy groups, Team Xecuter."

According to a DOJ statement, Team Xecuter targeted the Xbox, PlayStation Classic and several Nintendo platforms creating and selling devices for each that "hacked" the consoles so that they could run pirated software.

“These defendants lined their pockets by stealing and selling the work of other video-game developers – even going so far as to make customers pay a licensing fee to play stolen games,” said U.S. Attorney Brian Moran in the DOJ statement.

“This conduct doesn’t just harm billion dollar companies, it hijacks the hard work of individuals working to advance in the video-game industry.”

The DOJ claims that Bowser, Louarn and Chen are only three of "more than a dozen" people involved in the design, production, and sale of Team Xecuter's devices.

Although these devices were sometimes marketed as being for avid gamers who wanted to design their own games for personal use, prosecutors allege that piracy was the goal of the "overwhelming" majority of their users. The group also allegedly boosted demand for their products by creating and supporting "libraries of pirated videogames" and preloading their devices with some of these copies.

Bowser, a Canadian citizen, was arrested in the Dominican Republic and appeared in court in New Jersey on Friday. Chen is already in custody in the U.S., while Louarn was arrested outside the country and attempts will be made to extradite him for prosecution.

All three face charges including wire fraud, trafficking in circumvention devices, conspiracy to commit money laundering and other conspiracy-related offences.

None of the allegations against the trio have been tested in court.