Wisconsin Man Sentenced for Faking Kayaking Accident to Abandon Family
By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News

Ryan Borgwardt, 45, of Watertown, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 89 days in jail after staging a fake kayaking accident to leave his wife and three children for a woman he met online. The sentence, handed down on Tuesday, matches the number of days he successfully misled law enforcement about his whereabouts.

Borgwardt, convicted of obstructing an officer, received a sentence nearly double what prosecutors had recommended in a plea deal, according to FOX6News. Addressing the court, he expressed remorse: “I deeply regret the actions I did that night and all the pain I caused my family and friends.”

Presiding Judge Mark Slate highlighted the severity of the offence, stating, “He obstructed law enforcement for a total of 89 days,” adding that the sentence serves as a warning to anyone considering faking their death to evade responsibilities.

Borgwardt was reported missing on August 12, 2024, after telling his wife he would be kayaking on Green Lake. Authorities initially treated the case as a potential drowning. However, after 58 days of fruitless searches, suspicions arose that Borgwardt had staged his disappearance.

Investigations revealed he had secured a new passport months earlier, applied for a $375,000 life insurance policy, reversed his vasectomy, and transferred funds to a foreign account. Evidence also showed he was communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan and intended to meet her abroad.

Borgwardt’s elaborate plan involved overturning his kayak, leaving his ID in the water, paddling to shore using an inflatable raft, riding an electric bicycle 70 miles to Madison, and then flying to Toronto, Paris, and Georgia to meet the woman.

Authorities eventually contacted him in November, and he returned to the U.S. in December, turning himself in. He has paid $30,000 in restitution to cover search costs. His wife of 22 years divorced him four months later. The current whereabouts of the mystery woman remain unknown.

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