A man who spent more than two decades evading law enforcement is now in custody following a multi-state operation off the coast of New York, federal authorities announced.
Ronald L. Fischer, who had been named one of Rhode Island’s Most Wanted fugitives, was apprehended by a team led by the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force and the FBI. Fischer had been running from the law since 2005, when he fled Rhode Island during his criminal trial. He was later convicted in absentia of first-degree sexual assault.
The breakthrough in the case came after investigators received new leads regarding Fischer’s location. Over a 48-hour window, Deputy U.S. Marshals, task force officers, FBI special agents, and Rhode Island State Police analyzed the intelligence, tracking Fischer to New York.
Task force members traveled to New York and coordinated with the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service Southern District of New York, and the United States Coast Guard to set up the arrest.
Investigators discovered that Fischer was operating a 56-foot sailing vessel named The Silver Lining. The boat was registered under the name Richard Graydon, an alias that authorities say Fischer used to conceal his identity.
Deputy U.S. Marshals and Coast Guard personnel boarded a 45-foot Response Boat to intercept the sailboat. They located the vessel roughly one hour offshore and took Fischer into custody without incident.
Fischer was arrested on a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. In addition to the federal charge, he remains wanted for failure to appear and the prior first-degree sexual assault conviction.
Following the open-water arrest, Fischer was brought aboard the Coast Guard vessel to Coast Guard Station Staten Island, New York, where he was transferred to local law enforcement and Deputy U.S. Marshals.
“This arrest demonstrates that time does not erase accountability,” Wing Chau, U.S. Marshal for the District of Rhode Island, said in a statement. “For more than twenty years, Ronald Fischer believed he had successfully escaped justice. The men and women of the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force, together with our partners, remained committed to ensuring that day would eventually come.”
Chau added that authorities hope the arrest brings “a measure of justice and long-awaited closure to the victim and everyone impacted by these crimes.”
The operation relied on cooperation between multiple agencies, including the Portsmouth Police Department, Rhode Island State Police, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Coast Guard. Officials noted that rapid data analysis by FBI intelligence analysts was critical in pinpointing Fischer’s exact location at sea.
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