A Wisconsin father-of-three who staged his death on a kayaking trip to abandon his family and run off to Europe with his online fling will now spend as much time in prison as authorities spent searching for him.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was sentenced to 89 days in county jail after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer during his hearing in Green Lake County court on Tuesday, WISN 12 News reported.
Judge Mark Slate said his sentencing ruling was based on “the length of time he allowed his deception to continue.”
Borgwardt said he “deeply” regretted his actions and the “pain I caused my family and friends,” as he addressed the court before his sentencing.
Slate also ordered that the fleeing family man pay $30,000 to the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for wasting their resources investigating his death.
Green Lake County District Attorney Gerise LaSpisa slammed the father of three’s “premeditated, selfish actions” for the “incredible damage” he caused “not only to his family, but our community.”
Borgwardt was reported missing by his family on Aug. 12, 2024, following a kayaking trip at Green Lake about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
An overturned kayak and lifejacket that authorities believe belonged to the missing father were eventually recovered — leading investigators to suspect that he had drowned.
The search for Borgwardt lasted eight weeks, with search efforts costing at least $50,000, as the local community poured in countless hours and resources to find him.
However, after 54 days of searching for his body, investigators discovered the father-of-three had been chatting with a Uzbekistani woman online and had not drowned in the lake, but instead had faked his own death to be with her.
“He regularly communicated with the woman, professing his love and desire to create a new life with her,” LaSpisa said.
“He reversed his vasectomy, he applied for a replacement passport, claiming that his original one, which his wife found in the family safe in its normal place, was lost or stolen.”
Investigators discovered that Borgwardt had opened a new bank account, inquired about transferring funds to foreign banks, wiped his computer, and inexplicably purchased a $375,000 life insurance policy seven months before his disappearance.
Officials also found that Borgwardt’s name had been checked by law enforcement in Canada the day after he was reported missing.
After staging his death, Borgwardt rode an electric bike 70 miles overnight to Madison. He then caught a bus to Detroit and crossed into Canada to board a plane in Toronto, according to CBS News.
From Canada, he flew to Paris before eventually reaching the European country of Georgia.
He told investigators his paramour picked him up, and they spent several days in a hotel before reaching Georgia.
Investigators eventually tracked down Borgwardt in November and convinced him to return to the US in December, where he surrendered and was charged with obstructing the search for his body.
“His entire plan to fake his death to devastate his family in order to serve his own selfish desires hinged on him dying in the lake and selling his death to the world,” LaSpisa said before his sentencing.
Borgwardt told authorities upon returning to the US that he faked his death because of “personal matters” and thought authorities would give up the search for him after some time.
“The defendant did not count on the determination and dedication of our law enforcement,” LaSpisa said.
Four months after returning, his wife of 22 years, Emily, divorced him — claiming their marriage was “irretrievably broken,” WISN 12 News reported.
Following his sentencing Tuesday, Borgwardt’s attorney, Erik Johnson, said his client “deeply regrets” his actions and returned to the US “to make amends.”
His attorney also said he paid $30,000 in restitution last week.
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