WI - Ryan Borgwardt, 45, Green Lake, 11 Aug 2024 *faked his death*

[Seattle1]

I received an email notification today (12/2/25) from Vinelink-- citing RB's release:


12/02/2025

This e-mail is to inform you that RYAN BORGWARDT with offender number 3428230 was released from custody on 12/02/2025. The release reason is: Sentence served. If you have any concerns about your immediate safety, contact your local law enforcement agency or, if you have an emergency, call 911.

Please note: this is the final notification you will receive from VINE about this offender. If the offender is taken into county jail custody again in the future, you will need to re-register with VINE for notifications.

For more information, contact Outagamie County Sheriff's Office. The telephone number is (920) 832-5605. VINE information is also available at www.vinelink.com.

This notification is sponsored by the Wisconsin VINE Service. It is our hope that this information has been helpful to you.

Thank you,

The VINE Service

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Kayaker who faked his death no-shows in court after bid to destroy evidence

A judge dismissed the motion after Ryan Borgwardt failed to show up in court for the scheduled hearing on Tuesday.

www.courttv.com

Ryan Borgwardt, the man who faked his own drowning in Wisconsin, missed a court hearing on Tuesday to discuss a motion he filed seeking to delete evidence in his case.

Borgwardt filed the motion to “delete certain digital materials” on Dec. 16. A motion hearing was scheduled to discuss the matter on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Green Lake County Judge Mark Slate waited until 11:38 a.m. to dismiss the motion based on non-appearance.

 

[Chimera]

Kayaker who faked his death no-shows in court after bid to destroy evidence

A judge dismissed the motion after Ryan Borgwardt failed to show up in court for the scheduled hearing on Tuesday.

www.courttv.com

Ryan Borgwardt, the man who faked his own drowning in Wisconsin, missed a court hearing on Tuesday to discuss a motion he filed seeking to delete evidence in his case.

Borgwardt filed the motion to “delete certain digital materials” on Dec. 16. A motion hearing was scheduled to discuss the matter on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Green Lake County Judge Mark Slate waited until 11:38 a.m. to dismiss the motion based on non-appearance.

Hmmm....
Absconded with someone new ... or all by his lonesome ?
Jmo.

 

[Seattle1]

Failed to show for his own Motion. A nothing burger.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2019216972542562739

 

[truthfinder2019]

Going a bit back in time…

Before leaving his wife of 22 years, Borgwardt took out a life insurance policy, transferred funds to a foreign bank account, applied for a replacement passport, and had a medical procedure to reverse his vasectomy.

He served 89 days in prison, the same length of time that authorities spent searching for him.
He was also ordered by Green Lake County Circuit Court Judge Mark Slate to pay a $30,000 restitution for costs spent by search and rescue crews who were sent to look for him.

US kayaker who faked death to flee family sentenced to jail

The 89-day sentence equals the time spent searching for Ryan Borgwardt after he faked his death.

www.bbc.com

Online court records show that money has since been repaid in full.

Borgwardt’s attorney, Erik Johnson, said Borgwardt “deeply regrets” his actions, and that he returned to the country “to make amends.”

Ryan Borgwardt, kayaker who faked his death on Green Lake, released from jail

Online jail records show Ryan Borgwardt has been released. He was listed as “out of custody” on December 2.

www.wbay.com

Ryan Borgwardt left his family behind in an attempt to meet a Ukrainian woman he had secretly been courting online in the country of Georgia

Borgwardt told detectives that he was a failure and called his plan to abscond to the country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia a "crazy, emotional dream."

He eventually made it to Tbilisi where he met a woman named Katya he'd met on a dating website in December 2023. By February 2024 they had become close friends and he began researching how to fake his own death that April so he could be with her.

he has accumulated about $75,000 in credit card debt and $130,000 in business debt. He said he didn't have a good relationship with his wife and his children didn't want to do anything with him anymore.

Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled overseas says plan was a 'crazy, emotional dream'

Ryan Borgwardt left his family behind in an attempt to meet a Ukrainian woman he had secretly been courting online in the country of Georgia. He was later convicted of obstruction.

www.nbcnews.com

Borgwardt was released from jail on Tuesday, Dec. 2. He was granted work-release privileges and served his sentence at the Outagamie County Jail, which was closer to his job.

https://eu.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2025/12/08/ryan-borgwardt-missing-wisconsin-kayaker-released-from-jail/87678094007/

Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll is retiring.
Podoll recently gained attention for his department's solving of the 2024 case of Ryan Borgwardt, who faked his death on Green Lake and fled to Europe. The sheriff's office eventually convinced Borgwardt to return home, and he spent time in jail for obstruction of justice.

Green Lake County sheriff to retire; helped crack case of kayaker who faked death

Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll is retiring.

fox11online.com

On Dec. 16, Borgwardt filed a motion to delete certain digital materials related to the case, but since he didn't show up on Feb. 3, the Green Lake County circuit court judge dismissed his motion. His attorney, Erik C. Johnson, was also not at the hearing.

https://eu.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2026/02/03/ryan-borgwardt-missing-wisconsin-kayaker-fails-to-appear-in-court/88498361007/

 

[AnyNameIWish]

he has accumulated about $75,000 in credit card debt and $130,000 in business debt. He said he didn't have a good relationship with his wife and his children didn't want to do anything with him anymore.

That's all I wanted to really know.
It would have been shocking if his wife took him back- I mean it's within her right to have done so- but I'm glad she and the kids can detach themselves from this narcissistic psycho.

Faking your death. Really??

Cuz the courthouse and a divorce decree would be SO difficult?

It burns me that Ryan Borgwardt also put rescuers lives at risk, as well.