Watertown, Wisconsin resident Ryan Borgwardt is facing legal repercussions after allegedly staging his own drowning and fleeing to Eastern Europe, leaving his family behind. He has been charged with a misdemeanor count of obstructing an official investigation.

Borgwardt surrendered to authorities at the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. During a Wednesday court appearance, he entered a not guilty plea to the charge. The Green Lake County Sheriff confirmed Borgwardt returned to the United States voluntarily. Released on a $500 bail, Borgwardt informed the judge he intends to represent himself and was ordered to surrender his passport.

Borgwardt's alleged scheme began to unravel after investigators discovered evidence on his laptop, including a photo of a woman he met in an undisclosed Asian country and information about a $375,000 life insurance policy he had taken out in January, intending to leave it to his family. He reportedly admitted to leaving the incriminating information, claiming it was necessary to make his disappearance appear genuine.

Reported missing in August, Borgwardt allegedly confessed to researching methods of faking one's death, including the depth required to prevent resurfacing. On August 11, after attending church with his family, he reportedly drove to Green Lake, Wisconsin's deepest lake, and staged his drowning by overturning his kayak. He then used a pre-stashed inflatable raft to return to shore, discarded his phone and identification, and attempted to erase his footprints before cycling 70 miles to Madison. From there, he took a bus to Toronto, then flew to Paris and an unspecified Asian country before settling in Georgia, located in Eastern Europe.

The extensive search for Borgwardt spanned over a month and incurred costs of approximately $40,000. Investigators also uncovered evidence of Borgwardt altering his banking information on the day of his disappearance and obtaining a second passport. They eventually established contact with him through a Russian-speaking woman whose details were found on his laptop. Borgwardt sent a video message to U.S. authorities confirming his safety.

While Borgwardt anticipated being found, authorities have not disclosed his motive for staging his disappearance. Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll indicated that revealing the reason is Borgwardt's prerogative, emphasizing that their focus was on bringing him back safely.