The Department of Justice announced today in a press release that Port Graham man, 34-year-old Ryan Meganack, also known as “Unga,” and his girlfriend, Ivy Rose Rodriguez, have been charged with conspiracy and false distress. Meganack has additionally been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The charges arise from an incident that began on November 29th, when Meganack, who was due to appear at a change of plea in a multiple-charge sexual assault case, enlisted his girlfriend’s help faking his death.

Meganack put his plan in motion by taking his fishing boat out to a nearby island, where he rigged his skiff to look as if he had gone overboard, then abandoned the skiff to be found by searchers.

After setting up his manufactured, fake accident scene, he went back to Port Graham and picked up Rodriguez, then took his fishing vessel to a tidal lagoon where he secured the boat and left, DOJ says.

Rodriguez would return to where she was staying in Port Graham, while Meganack went to a small campsite outside the village that he had previously prepared. The  next morning, November 30th, following their plan, Rodriguez told Meganack’s family that Meganack had been drinking the previous night, and had left with alcohol in his skiff, DOJ reports.

Meganack was reported missing, and an all-out search was initiated. Search personnel from Port Graham and NOAA, troopers on the P/V Augustine, the Coast Guard Cutter Naushon, as well as helicopters dispatched from Kodiak, covered an area 15 miles by 11 miles from English Bay to Cook Inlet.

Search assets located the skiff, swamped, with the engine down, and keys in the ignition. Debris consistent with the skiff was also found in the water.

After two days of searching, troopers would receive a tip that resulted in them locating Meganack at his make-shift camp. He was immediately placed under arrest for violating his conditions of release by not being within sight and sound of his Court-Approved Third Party Custodian in his then-current sexual assault case.

Today’s charges come to Meganack while he is currently incarcerated. Meganack, a twice-convicted sex offender, after securing a plea deal in December. is currently residing at the Goose Creek Correctional Facility with a release date of 2031, 

According to the Department of Justice, “The Coast Guard alone expended approximately $310,897.50 in resources during the search for Meganack.”[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

  Alaska, Coast Guard, conspiracy, false distress, felon, firearm, ivy, noaa, port graham, possession, prison, rodriguez, rose, ryan meganack, sexual assault, troopers