Ronald L Fischer, a 70-year-old “master yachtsman” who fled his 2005 sexual assault trial in Rhode Island and was convicted in absentia, was captured Thursday on a sailboat off the coast of New Jersey, authorities announced. Fischer had been one of Rhode Island’s most wanted fugitives and was featured repeatedly on the true-crime television program America’s Most Wanted.
Flight and Conviction
Fischer was on trial in Rhode Island for first-degree sexual assault in 2005 when he emailed his attorney stating he was leaving the United States. “Although I believe my trial has gone very well, and expect to be acquitted and dismissed, the small chance of losing could carry extremely and unacceptably harsh penalties,” Fischer wrote, according to local outlet WPRI. “I have therefore decided not to take the risk and to leave the US and enjoy life in another country where I have long been carefully planning a good, safe, secure and comfortable life.” He was subsequently found guilty in absentia of sexually assaulting a woman on his yacht in 2003. Fischer was sentenced to life imprisonment, with parole eligibility after 25 years, and placed on Rhode Island’s most wanted list.
Investigation and Arrest
The fugitive database described Fischer as a well-connected “master yachtsman” and “world traveler” from East Greenwich, Rhode Island, with at least 17 known aliases. Investigators recently determined that Fischer was operating a 56-foot sailing vessel named the Silver Lining under a previously unknown alias: Richard Graydon. The Rhode Island State Police, working with federal law enforcement, intercepted the Silver Lining on Thursday about an hour off the New Jersey coast. Fischer surrendered without resistance, according to the US Marshals Service, which participated in the arrest. The marshals stated that “newly developed investigative leads” about Fischer’s whereabouts emerged only two days earlier, and those leads “were rapidly analyzed and determined to be credible and actionable, ultimately leading investigators” to him.
Legal Consequences and Victim Closure
In addition to serving his life sentence for the sexual assault conviction, Fischer faces federal and state charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and failure to appear in court. Wing Chau, the US Marshal for Rhode Island, said Fischer’s arrest “demonstrates that time does not erase accountability.” Chau added, “For more than 20 years, Ronald Fischer believed he had successfully escaped justice. But thanks to outstanding investigative work, exceptional intelligence analysis and seamless coordination between agencies, Fischer is finally in custody. We hope [Fischer’s] arrest brings a measure of justice and long-awaited closure to the victim and everyone [affected] by these crimes.”
