Ryan Borgwardt — the Wisconsin man who staged his own death before fleeing to Europe — has been released from jail, according to jail records.
Borgwardt served an 89-day sentence, which was equal to the time of his deception. He has also previously paid $30,000 in restitution for law enforcement costs associated with the investigation surrounding his disappearance.
According to NBC26 in Green Bay, Borgwardt was released Tuesday, Dec. 2. He was granted work-release privileges and served his sentence at the Outagamie County Jail, which was closer to his job.
Borgwardt staged his death on Aug. 11, 2024, by capsizing his kayak in Green Lake, then paddling to shore on an inflatable raft. He afterward used several forms of transportation to make his way to Europe, where he planned to meet a Ukrainian woman he had been courting online.
A nearly two-month search involving underwater drones, sonar, divers and three canine cadaver teams failed to locate any sign of Borgwardt’s body. Then, in October, authorities learned Borgwardt had used a passport in Canada on Aug. 13 — the day after he was reported missing. Their investigation pivoted.
At a November 2024 news conference, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll revealed that the sheriff’s office had made contact with Borgwardt and had spoken with him almost daily over the course of 10 days, trying to convince him to return home to his family.
Wisconsin doesn’t have a crime on the books for faking a death. Borgwardt was charged with obstruction for planting physical evidence to mislead authorities into believing he had drowned.
When Borgwardt was given the opportunity to speak at the sentencing, he shared just one sentence.
“I deeply regret the actions that I did that night and all the pain that I caused my family and friends,” he said.
Kelli Arseneau contributed to this report.
This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ryan Borgwardt, ‘missing’ Wisconsin kayaker that faked his death, released from jail
Reporting by Drake Bentley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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