The Brief
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was sentenced to 89 days in jail for causing a search that had multiple agencies looking for him, after they believed he was dead.
Authorities believed he drowned when he did not return from a fishing trip on Green Lake in August 2024.
Investigators later discovered that he allegedly staged the scene himself, then left his family and fled to Europe.
(FOX 9) - A Wisconsin man who authorities believe faked his own kayaking death, then fled to eastern Europe, has been sentenced to jail time for the search that had multiple agencies looking for him.
Wisconsin kayaker sentenced
What we know
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was convicted on Tuesday for obstructing an officer, and sentenced to 89 days in jail.
The length of the sentence is nearly twice as long as what was recommended under a plea deal reached with prosecutors, and the same amount of time he lied to searching authorities about where he was, the AP reports.
Under the plea agreement, he will pay $30,000 in restitution to law enforcement to cover what was spent during the search, the AP says.
Wisconsin Kayaker fake death
The backstory
When Borgwardt didn't return home from a fishing trip on Green Lake in Wisconsin in early August 2024, local authorities believed he had drowned.
However, they came to learn it was all a ruse.
Authorities say that Borgwardt overturned his kayak and dropped his phone into the lake.
He then paddled a flotation device to shore and rode an E-bike that was stashed nearby.
Investigators believe he then caught a bus to Detroit, and crossed the border into Canada, where he boarded a plane.
Investigators discovered Borgwardt had recently transferred money to a foreign bank account, replaced the hard drive on his computer and communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan. He had also taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy earlier in the year.
He had also gotten a new passport, which was checked by Canadian authorities the day after he was reported missing.
The Source
Information provided by the Associated Press, Green County Sheriff's Office and past FOX 9 reporting.
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