A MARRIED dad shamelessly tried to fake his own death on a kayaking trip before fleeing to Georgia to be with his mistress.
Ryan Borgwardt, a 45-year-old from Wisconsin, received his sentencing in court on Tuesday for the elaborate plot he executed last summer.
Ryan Borgwardt, pictured with his wife, was sentenced to 89 days in the Green Lake County Jail after he cruelly tried to fake his death[/caption]
The judge ordered him to pay $30,000 to cover the costs of the manhunt launched after his disappearance[/caption]
The dad-of-three hatched an elaborate plot, whereby cops and his family would think he drowned in a lake[/caption]
Borgwardt pleaded no contest and with the plea, he was found guilty of misdemeanour obstruction of an officer, reports local channel WMTV 15.
Judge Mark Slate sentenced the dad-of-three to 89 days in the Green Lake County Jail, explaining the sentence represented the number of days from the time Borgwardt was reported missing to the day he made contact with the Sheriff’s Office.
“I deeply regret the actions that I did that night and all the pain I caused my family and my friends,” Borgwardt said in court.
Attorney Gerise LaSpisa said Borgwardt’s plot to flee the country was selfish and self-centred.
LaSpisa said: “He believed that Green Lake’s great depth would mean that a body would not surface.”
She continued: “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 him 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.”
The judge ordered him to pay $30,000 in costs to Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in relation to the manhunt launched after he disappeared on August 11, 2024.
After spending 54 days looking for LaSpisa, cops learnt in October that the shameless dad had crossed the border into Canada a few days after his disappearance.
They also discovered that he had been speaking with a Uzbek woman who spoke Russian – even prior to him obtaining a new passport and a $375,000 life insurance policy in January.
Authorities revealed on November 8 that they believed he had deliberately flipped his kayak – throwing his phone and belongings in the water – before paddling to safety on an inflatable boat and then taking an e-bike over 50 miles to Madison overnight.
When police contacted him in November, Borgwardt – who had no contact with his families – sent a video, telling them: “I am safe, secure, no problems.”
The Sheriff’s Office was supporting his heartbroken family.
Describing how they were doing in November, Vande Kolk said: “I can’t compare their situation to anything I have ever experienced in law enforcement before, I don’t have any reference.”
Borgwardt told authorities that he faked his death due to “personal matters”, according to Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll.
He explained that he picked Green Lake as he knew it was the deepest in the state.
Borgwardt tried to cover his tracks by leaving his original passport at home, removing his laptop hard drive and destroying his search history, police said.
He also moved money to a foreign bank account and changed the details linked to his bank accounts, they added.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said he “could not be more proud” after Borgwardt was brought to justice thanks to the work of officers.
Borgwardt said he faked his death for ‘personal reasons’[/caption]
Ryan Borgwardt appears in a Green Lake County courtroom in December 2024[/caption]
