GREEN LAKE, Wis. (WFRV) – Ryan Borgwardt, a Wisconsin man who made national headlines last year after attempting to fake his own kayaking death, was convicted on Tuesday and sentenced to 89 days in jail.

Borgwardt, 45, pleaded no contest to a charge related to obstructing officers during their search, a misdemeanor that carried a max sentence of nine months behind bars. He apologized during brief remarks he made in court on Tuesday afternoon.

“I deeply regret the actions I did that night, all the pain that I caused my family and friends,” he said.

Green Lake County Judge Mark Slate said he sentenced Borgwardt to 89 days behind bars because it took 89 days for law enforcement officials to track him down after he disappeared last August.

Borgwardt was reported missing on Aug. 12, 2024. His kayak was found flipped over on Green Lake, located about 100 miles north of Milwaukee, but local officials ultimately determined that he faked his death and likely fled to Eastern Europe to be with a woman he met online.

Borgwardt, a father of three, also left behind his wife and children when he disappeared. His wife has since divorced him, the Associated Press reported.

Investigators said an analysis of Borgwardt’s laptop revealed that he planned his disappearance. Law enforcement found that his name had been run by law enforcement in Canada the day after he disappeared on Aug. 13.

He later told police that he flipped his kayak on Green Lake, threw his phone in the water, paddled to shore on a small inflatable boat he brought, and then used an e-bike to ride to Madison, Wisconsin, where he caught a bus that took him to Canada, where he boarded a plane to Europe.

As part of his plea deal, prosecutors and Borgwardt’s lawyer had reached an agreement asking for Borgwardt to spend 45 days in jail. But the judge nearly doubled it to 89 days, to serve as a deterrent to anyone else who may be considering faking their death and misleading law enforcement.

“Certainly any criminal charge and sentence that this court hands down won’t be able to come close to undoing the incredible damage done by his premeditated selfish actions, not only to his family but to our community,” said Green Lake County district attorney Gerise LaSpisa.

“This was a non-extraditable misdemeanor,” countered Borgwardt’s lawyer Erik Johnson. “He didn’t want to come back and didn’t have to come back, but he did. He wanted to make amends, and that’s why he returned.”

Court records show that Borgwardt was also ordered to pay $30,000 to cover the cost of the search investigation, to be split between the Department of Natural Resources and the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Borgwardt’s attorney said his client already paid the $30,000 in restitution last week.

Borgwardt didn’t answer questions from reporters when he walked out of the courtroom on Tuesday afternoon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.