Wisconsin Dad Who Faked His Own Death Sentenced to 89 Days in Jail, the Same Number of Days He Was Missing

A Wisconsin man who faked his death and vanished overseas has been sentenced to 89 days in jail — the exact number of days he was missing, according to multiple outlets.

Ryan Borgwardt, 45, entered a Wisconsin courtroom on Tuesday, Aug. 28, and pleaded no contest under a new deal. He was also ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution to law enforcement for misleading investigators, after initially pleading not guilty to the misdemeanor, ABC News, Fox 6 Milwaukee, and WDIV reported.

Borgwardt disappeared on Aug. 11, 2024, following a kayaking trip on Green Lake. As authorities searched, his wife and children believed he had drowned.

But on Nov. 8, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll revealed that Borgwardt was alive and had fled to Eastern Europe. Investigators discovered he had taken photos of his passport, changed his email, moved money to a foreign bank, and had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.

Authorities eventually halted the search in early October 2024 after Canadian officials confirmed his passport had been scanned just two days after his disappearance. Borgwardt was never extradited but later contacted police and returned voluntarily. He was booked into Green Lake County Jail on Dec. 10, according to Wisconsin’s VINE online notification system.

Before sentencing, Borgwardt addressed the court: “I deeply regret the actions that I did that night and all the pain that I caused my family and friends,” he said, per ABC News.

Prosecutors had asked for 45 days behind bars, but the judge doubled that number — matching the days Borgwardt was missing.

Court records also showed Borgwardt had studied how to vanish successfully, believing Green Lake’s depth would prevent a body from resurfacing. Prosecutors said he traveled to the country of Georgia to start over with a woman he had met online.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, investigators learned Borgwardt had been planning his disappearance since January 2024, when he took out a $375,000 life insurance policy, possibly to provide for his family in his absence.

Sheriff Podoll said police managed to reach Borgwardt on Nov. 11, urging him — with help from a Russian-speaking woman — to contact his family. At that time, he told officers he was “safe and well” while living abroad.

Borgwardt later admitted to staging the entire accident. According to the sheriff, he left an e-bike near a lodge, paddled his kayak and a child-sized inflatable boat into the lake, then overturned the kayak to simulate a drowning. He used the inflatable to get back to shore, rode his e-bike through the night to Madison, and caught a bus to Detroit before heading across the Canadian border. From there, he boarded a plane overseas.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office for comment but has not yet received a response.