American man who faked his death sentenced to prison

In August 2024, a Wisconsin man faked his own drowning by staging a kayaking accident in Green Lake, then traveled to Georgia to start a new life with a woman he met online.

Ryan Borgwardt overturned his kayak and left his belongings behind, triggering a massive search that lasted nearly two months, with authorities believing he had drowned. He used an inflatable boat and an electric bicycle to secretly leave the lake and travel to Madison, then fled the country, first to Canada and then eventually to Georgia.

Several months before the incident, Borgwardt had planned his attack by obtaining a new passport, taking out a substantial life insurance policy, transferring funds overseas, and researching how to fake a drowning.

His plan was to convince authorities and his family that he had died in the lake, believing its depth would prevent his body from resurfacing.

Authorities nevertheless traced his movements and made contact with him abroad in November 2024. Borgwardt returned to the United States, pleaded not guilty to obstruction of justice, and was sentenced to 89 days in prison—the same number of days he had been missing—and ordered to pay $30,000 (approximately €25,000) in damages for search costs. His wife filed for divorce shortly after his return.

(MH with AnVa - Source : NBC News - Photo : ©Unsplash)