PROVIDENCE, R.I.- A fugitive who spent more than 20 years on the run after fleeing Rhode Island during a criminal trial has been arrested near New Jersey, authorities announced Thursday.
Ronald L. Fischer, one of Rhode Island’s most wanted fugitives, was taken into custody without incident after investigators located him aboard a 56-foot sailing vessel approximately one hour offshore. The vessel, The Silver Lining, was registered under the name Richard Graydon, an alias authorities say was used by Fischer.
The arrest followed a coordinated investigation by the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, Rhode Island State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other law enforcement partners.
Authorities said newly developed investigative leads regarding Fischer’s location were analyzed and confirmed over a 48-hour period, leading investigators to New York. Task force members then coordinated with federal partners to locate and intercept the vessel.
Deputy U.S. Marshals and Coast Guard personnel aboard a Coast Guard response boat took Fischer into custody after stopping the sailboat offshore.
Fischer had been wanted since fleeing Rhode Island during his 2005 criminal trial. He was later convicted in absentia of first-degree sexual assault after failing to appear in court and remained wanted for failure to appear, first-degree sexual assault, and flight to avoid prosecution.
After his arrest, Fischer was transported to Coast Guard Station Staten Island, New York, where custody was transferred to U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement officials.
“This arrest demonstrates that time does not erase accountability,” said Wing Chau, U.S. Marshal for the District of Rhode Island. “For more than twenty years, Ronald Fischer believed he had successfully escaped justice.”
Rhode Island State Police credited the continued efforts of current and retired troopers, along with federal and local partners, in locating Fischer after more than two decades.
The operation involved the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, U.S. Marshals Service Southern District of New York, Rhode Island State Police, Portsmouth Police Department, and the United States Coast Guard.
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