Kayaker who faked his own death, fled the US is sentenced after expressing regret to family

GREEN LAKE, Wis. (WMTV/Gray News) - A Wisconsin man pleaded no contest Tuesday after authorities say he faked his own death while kayaking and fled the country last year.

With the plea, a judge found Ryan Borgwardt guilty of a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of an officer.

Borgwardt, 45, was in court Tuesday, which was the first time he appeared in person since his initial hearing.

He spoke during the hearing and expressed his regret.

“I deeply regret the actions that I did that night and all the pain I caused my family and my friends,” Borgwardt said.

Judge Mark Slate sentenced Borgwardt to 89 days in the Green Lake County Jail; the judge said the sentence symbolizes the number of days between the time Borgwardt was reported missing to the day he emailed the sheriff’s office.

Borgwardt will have some work and out-of-county travel privileges.

District Attorney Gerise LaSpisa described Borgwardt’s plan to flee the country as selfish and self-centered. She recapped the plan to flee, including how he researched ways to successfully disappear.

“He believed that Green Lake’s great depth would mean that a body would not surface,” LaSpisa said. “According to the defendant, his entire plan to fake his death, to devastate his family in order to serve his own selfish desire, hinged on his dying in the lake and selling his death to the world. His words. What defendant did not count on was the great concern and dedication of the Green Lake County community and the dogged resolve of our law enforcement.”

Borgwardt’s attorney, Erik Johnson, said his client has regretted the decisions he made initially. He said Borgwardt is now taking responsibility for his actions.

“He came back from Europe to take responsibility for his actions and I think that’s worth noting as well,” Johnson said. “This was a nonextraditable misdemeanor. If he didn’t want to come back, he didn’t need to come back. He did and he wanted to make amends, and that’s why he returned.”

Officials said Borgwardt already agreed to pay $30,000, which will be split between the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, for the cost of the search.

It was noted in court that both sides had agreed to a 45-day sentence in the county jail before the judge decided to sentence Borgwardt to 89 days.

Borgwardt has already served two days in jail, which will go toward the sentence. He previously pleaded not guilty in December 2024.

The Wisconsin man allegedly abandoned a kayak on Big Green Lake and dropped his phone in the water to make it look like he had drowned in August 2024.

After rowing an inflatable boat back to shore, deputies said he rode an e-bicycle through the night to Madison. He then hopped on a bus to Detroit before making his way to the Canadian border. Once there, he boarded a plane to flee the country.

At a news conference in November 2024, officials recounted how they pleaded with Borgwardt to come home, yet he was reluctant at the time. Officials said Borgwardt’s biggest concern was seeing how the community would react.

Sheriff Mark Podoll said Borgwardt arrived on American soil on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, and he was taken into custody after turning himself in.