A Wisconsin father of three has his day in court after faking his death on a kayaking trip. The father intended to abandon his family and run off with a woman he met online in Europe.
Ultimately, a judge sentenced him to as much time in jail as authorities spent searching for him. He will serve 89 days in county jail. 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer.
According to WISN 12 News, Judge Mark Slate based his sentencing on "the length of time he allowed his deception to continue." The father of three said he regretted all the "pain I caused my family and friends." Borgwardt blew up his marriage after faking his death to go be with an online fling.
Green Lake County District Attorney Gerise LaSpisa criticized the father of three for his "premeditated, selfish actions." The father of three went on a kayaking trip in 2024 and faked his death. During the kayaking trip, he overturned his kayak and fled the scene, trying to trick authorities into thinking he drowned.
Disappeared On Kayaking Trip
He fled to Europe to meet an Uzbekistani woman he met online. The father had not drowned on the kayaking trip.
"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."
"Ryan, if you are viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family. We understand that things can happen, but there's a family that wants their daddy back," Sheriff Mark Podoll said.
