Found Alive WI - Ryan Borgwardt, 45, Green Lake, 11 Aug 2024 *evidence that he faked his death and is alive in Eastern Europe*

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  • #941
  • #942
  • #943
I hope his kids and wife have loving support from family and true friends.
 
  • #944
June 4, 2025

Borgwardt, 44, faces one misdemeanor count of obstruction.

WLUK-TV reports in court Tuesday, defense attorney Erik Johnson said the parties are having “meaningful discussions” towards a resolution, but do not have a deal. Another state conference was set for July 14. If no deal is in sight, Judge Mark Slate plans to set a trial date then.

[..]

Green Lake County is seeking restitution of $35,000 to $40,000.

Possible Resolution--WSAW
 
  • #945
  • #946
Trino said:
Shouldn't take so long to put this guy in jail.
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IMO, not likely RB will ever see any jail time for a single misdemeanor count. I also think authorities would rather he be free and available for gainful employment to make restitution for the cost expended searching for him!
 
  • #947
Seattle1 said:
IMO, not likely RB will ever see any jail time for a single misdemeanor count. I also think authorities would rather he be free and available for gainful employment to make restitution for the cost expended searching for him!
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Who's going to hire him? Whoa. Not me. Is he still living with Mom and Dad?
 
  • #948
Seattle1 said:
IMO, not likely RB will ever see any jail time for a single misdemeanor count. I also think authorities would rather he be free and available for gainful employment to make restitution for the cost expended searching for him!
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100% agree. Local LE has seemed driven to help the family resolve the situation calmly and safely, without making it harder on them to do so. Seems like a remarkable community and the perp is dang lucky he was given a strong lifeline to return home.

I personally wouldn't trust the perp for one second going forward, but I commend any efforts toward restoration. If he can turn this situation around (and pay what he owes), that's the optimal outcome, really.

He'd better not blow the negotiations and lose the opportunities offered him, imo.

jmopinion
 
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  • #949
Trino said:
Who's going to hire him? Whoa. Not me. Is he still living with Mom and Dad?
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You might underestimate the urge to hear the gossip firsthand
 
  • #950
Charlot123 said:
You might underestimate the urge to hear the gossip firsthand
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LOL!

This case is something else, truly. In the end I'm so relieved that this dude chose to just make an idiot of himself extremely publicly rather than physically harming his family, though. (I'm sure it's felt humiliating to them at times but I hope they also know that ultimately he's the one that looks stupid, not them.)

This isn't a funny or happy story, per se, but relative to a great many family annihilator stories here and elsewhere, it's one of the better possible outcomes when a flaky spouse decides they want out but are too pathetic and selfish to just get a divorce like a normal person. At least everyone -- yes, even including this dumb guy -- are alive and well.
 
  • #951
Seattle1 said:
WLUK-TV reports in court Tuesday, defense attorney Erik Johnson said the parties are having “meaningful discussions” towards a resolution, but do not have a deal. Another state conference was set for July 14. If no deal is in sight, Judge Mark Slate plans to set a trial date then.
Click to expand...

RB hasn't appeared in Court since Jan 2025. His attorney appeared on his behalf in April & June when another state conference was set for July 14.

There's no notation on the docket for the July 14 hearing-- no additional hearing or trial date set. I'm assuming a resolution has been reached or is close-- but still not disclosed on the record yet. JMO

06-04-2025Notice of hearing
Additional text:
Status hearing on July 14, 2025 at 03:30 pm.

06-03-2025Status hearingSlate, Mark T.
Additional text:
NOT ON THE RECORD Defendant RYAN A BORGWARDT not in court. Attorney Erik C. Johnson in court for RYAN A BORGWARDT. Attorney Gerise Marie Laspisa in court for State of Wisconsin. Statement by Atty Johnson - requests another court date. Court sets for Status Hearing on July 14, 2025 at 3:30 PM.

Wisconsin Circuit Court Access

wcca.wicourts.gov wcca.wicourts.gov
 
  • #952
Does anyone remember why he chose to return to USA soil from Georgia (the country?) I remember he returned by his own volition but... do we know if the European paramour got tired of him and that's why he returned?
 
  • #953
AnyNameIWish said:
Does anyone remember why he chose to return to USA soil from Georgia (the country?) I remember he returned by his own volition but... do we know if the European paramour got tired of him and that's why he returned?
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Just a shot in the dark, but since so many of these "in love with an online apparition" cases end up catfished with all their funds stolen, I'm guessing he's just another statistic to add to the pile. He's probably grateful to still be alive.
 
  • #954
AnyNameIWish said:
Does anyone remember why he chose to return to USA soil from Georgia (the country?) I remember he returned by his own volition but... do we know if the European paramour got tired of him and that's why he returned?
Click to expand...
IIRC— the police were able to contact him via the email address he corresponded with before he left the country and told the woman they needed a proof of life video from him. Several days after he sent the video to police, LE was able to determine his location, made contact with him, and somehow convinced him to return home for his children’s sake.
 
  • #955
cujenn81 said:
IIRC— the police were able to contact him via the email address he corresponded with before he left the country and told the woman they needed a proof of life video from him. Several days after he sent the video to police, LE was able to determine his location, made contact with him, and somehow convinced him to return home for his children’s sake.
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Just my personal feeling - he ran out of money.

I read the comments of the people living in the Post-Soviet countries to understand their perception. They are subjective but have certain interesting points.

First, many people pointed out that the woman might have not been aware that RB was married.

Second, she probably expected him to marry her and bring to the US, not arrive to *wherever she was living*

Third, he probably ran out of money pretty soon
 
  • #956
AnyNameIWish said:
Does anyone remember why he chose to return to USA soil from Georgia (the country?) I remember he returned by his own volition but... do we know if the European paramour got tired of him and that's why he returned?
Click to expand...

When US authorities made contact with RB the first week of November 2024, they laid out the legal jeopardy he was in, and I think he realized it made sense for him to return to the US before he was an alleged felon. Returning when he did, RB only faces 1 count of Obstructing an Officer-- a Class A Misdemeanor. WI 946.41(1)

Some examples of obstructing an officer include fleeing from an officer, providing false information to mislead the officer, or actively interfering with an officer's attempts to make an arrest.

PommyMommy said:
The Sheriff's Office said its new goals for the case include:
  • Identify any and all crimes committed, any individuals who assisted with those crimes, and completely and thoroughly investigate all aspects of this case with the assistance of our state, federal, and international partners
  • Pursue restitution for the expenses of the search that have been funded by the taxpayers.
  • Alert Borgwardt that his plan is being uncovered, and that the best thing he can do is return home to his family and children
Click to expand...
 
  • #957
Interesting. I am reading commentaries of the citizens from different post-Soviet countries. You have to understand, the USSR split 33 years ago, but the mentality and the realities of living are similar. Here is what really drew my attention.

- some people themselves had participated in the diving rescue efforts. They say that in is unbearable to search and to wait. So many are shaming Ryan for his obvious egotism. How could he not think of his family waiting for that call, they wonder, Many are praising Bruce’s Legacy for not charging (his family) although the organization spent a lot of money, had to buy a new sonar and spent 23 days diving. And what, other posters say, if god forbid someone got hurt or died diving in the deepest part of the Greenlake? How would Ryan live with it? So the general opinion is, “very immature”.

Surprisingly few posters blamed the woman. She can turn the story into a hype, later, someone said. But ultimately, whether a woman in a relationship with a man may be aware that she is just a lover or not, you, man, are fully aware that you have a family and kids, was the consensus.

Finally, that video of Ryan taken in Georgia against the background of a wall and a door. Karla Lieberman wasn’t sure whether he was kept anywhere against his own wish and it has amused Georgians. It is a recently whitewashed Georgian hallway. (To be fair, it looked unusual to me as well but I grew up in Moscow, where the architecture is different.)

Everyone mentioned that he looked much happier on the photo with his wife and family. No one saw evidence of “passionate sexy nights” spent in Georgia and it seemed that no one waited for him there.

Bottom line, dude, you have a community, and a good one, that didn’t stop searching for you and didn’t give up on you. What the heck were you lacking in life?

So there is a little bit different viewpoint of the people living “there”. I thought I might share is.
 
  • #958
Charlot123 said:
Interesting. I am reading commentaries of the citizens from different post-Soviet countries. You have to understand, the USSR split 33 years ago, but the mentality and the realities of living are similar. Here is what really drew my attention.

- some people themselves had participated in the diving rescue efforts. They say that in is unbearable to search and to wait. So many are shaming Ryan for his obvious egotism. How could he not think of his family waiting for that call, they wonder, Many are praising Bruce’s Legacy for not charging (his family) although the organization spent a lot of money, had to buy a new sonar and spent 23 days diving. And what, other posters say, if god forbid someone got hurt or died diving in the deepest part of the Greenlake? How would Ryan live with it? So the general opinion is, “very immature”.

Surprisingly few posters blamed the woman. She can turn the story into a hype, later, someone said. But ultimately, whether a woman in a relationship with a man may be aware that she is just a lover or not, you, man, are fully aware that you have a family and kids, was the consensus.

Finally, that video of Ryan taken in Georgia against the background of a wall and a door. Karla Lieberman wasn’t sure whether he was kept anywhere against his own wish and it has amused Georgians. It is a recently whitewashed Georgian hallway. (To be fair, it looked unusual to me as well but I grew up in Moscow, where the architecture is different.)

Everyone mentioned that he looked much happier on the photo with his wife and family. No one saw evidence of “passionate sexy nights” spent in Georgia and it seemed that no one waited for him there.

Bottom line, dude, you have a community, and a good one, that didn’t stop searching for you and didn’t give up on you. What the heck were you lacking in life?

So there is a little bit different viewpoint of the people living “there”. I thought I might share is.
Click to expand...
Excellent post. Thanks for sharing those insights. All rings true.

Also rings true to me that he was given a lifeline back home. I hope he appreciates that.

jmopinion
 
  • #959
www.dailymail.co.uk

Wisconsin kayaker learns fate for faking his own drowning death

Ryan Borgwardt is thought to have carried out the elaborate stunt to be with his mistress in the country of Georgia last summer.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk

8/26/25

Judge Mark Slate sentenced Borgwardt, 45, of Watertown, to 89 days behind bars -the same amount of time as he misled law enforcement for last year, according to ABC affiliate WISN12.

'The court finds the appropriate time for the defendant to spend in the county jail is the length of time he allowed his deception to continue,' Slate said.

The judge also ordered him to pay $30,000 in costs to Green Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

'Certainly, any criminal charge, conviction and sentence that this court today hands down will not be able to come close to undoing the incredible damage this defendant, by his premeditated, selfish actions, has done, not only to his family, but our community,' Green Lake County District Attorney Gerise LaSpisa said.
 
  • #960
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