A Wisconsin man who staged his own drowning in a kayaking incident to pursue a woman overseas has been sentenced to nearly three months in jail after deceiving his family and law enforcement for 89 days. The man, 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt, was convicted of obstructing an officer on Tuesday in Green Lake County Circuit Court, where the judge imposed a sentence nearly double what prosecutors had recommended.
Borgwardt vanished on August 12, 2024, after telling his wife he was kayaking on Green Lake. His disappearance triggered an extensive 58-day search initially treated as a likely drowning. However, investigators grew suspicious when no body was recovered and later uncovered that Borgwardt had obtained a new passport months earlier. Authorities eventually discovered he had fled to the European country of Georgia, where he had traveled to meet a woman he had been communicating with online.
According to court records, Borgwardt meticulously planned his escape. He overturned his kayak on Green Lake, used a hidden inflatable raft to return to shore, and dumped his identification in the water to stage his death. From there, he biked 70 miles to Madison, boarded a bus to Toronto, and flew first to Paris before ultimately arriving in Georgia. Prosecutors revealed he had also taken out a life insurance policy, applied for a new passport, and even reversed a vasectomy in the months leading up to his disappearance.
Judge Mark Slate, who sentenced Borgwardt, said the punishment was intended not only to reflect the seriousness of the deception but also to deter others from attempting similar schemes. “He obstructed law enforcement for a total of 89 days,” the judge noted, imposing a jail term equal to the number of days Borgwardt remained missing. Prosecutors had requested a 45-day sentence, but the judge nearly doubled it. Borgwardt will also pay $30,000 in restitution to cover search costs.
In court, Borgwardt expressed remorse, apologizing to his family and community for the pain his actions caused. His wife of 22 years has since divorced him. While his attorney argued that Borgwardt returned voluntarily to face consequences and make amends, prosecutors described his actions as a selfish scheme designed to devastate his family in pursuit of an affair.
