Wisconsin DNR uses restitution from kayaker who faked death

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced on Wednesday, July 15, the restitution received as part of a 2025 Green Lake County Circuit Court ruling against a kayaker who staged his death was used to purchase new sonar equipment for emergency response to public safety incidents and natural resource protection cases. Ryan Borgwardt staged a boating fatality on Big Green Lake, the state’s deepest inland lake, back in August 2024. Almost two months later, authorities determined he had fled the country and falsified his death for personal reasons. Green Lake County Sheriff and other law enforcement partners located Borgwardt in Europe and convinced him to return to Green Lake.