One of Rhode Island’s “longest-wanted” fugitives was finally arrested this week after 21 years on the run, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Former Rhode Island doctor Ronald Fischer disappeared during his 2005 trial on a first-degree sexual assault charge, according to the Marshals Service. Fischer was accused of raping a woman aboard his boat, the “Lion King,” in 2003, NBC New York reported.
“He was subsequently convicted in absentia of First-Degree Sexual Assault after failing to appear for trial and remained wanted for Failure to Appear, First Degree Sexual Assault, and Flight to Avoid Prosecution,” the Marshals Service said in a press release Thursday.
Earlier this week, investigators received information about Fischer’s whereabouts that they determined was credible, prompting members of the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force to deploy to New York.
Investigators determined Fischer was operating a 56-foot sailboat named “The Silver Lining,” which was registered under the name Richard Graydon, an alias authorities said Fischer used. U.S. Marshals and Coast Guard personnel intercepted the vessel about an hour offshore and arrested him without incident.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, fingerprints taken from Fischer by the Marshals Service and analyzed by the FBI confirmed that he was the same man on trial for rape charges in Rhode Island 21 years ago.
Books on how to evade law enforcement were found at Fischer’s residence during a search warrant, and it was determined that he was using what’s known as an “onion router” to hide his IP addresses and avoid being tracked, the district attorney’s office said.
Investigators also found emails between Fischer and family members who have been helping him evade law enforcement, according to the district attorney’s office.
Fischer’s capture was a coordinated effort by the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force, the Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Coast Guard. The FBI also assisted in the investigation.
“This arrest demonstrates that time does not erase accountability,” said Wing Chau, the U.S. marshal for the District of Rhode Island. “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.”
The victim, Cheryl Gingerich, told NBC 10 in an exclusive interview that news of Fischer’s arrest made her happy.
The trauma of the incident affected nearly every aspect of her life, she said, leaving her afraid to leave her home and forcing her to abandon her career as an English professor.
“I always lived in fear of seeing him again because I never felt that he was far away,” she told the outlet.
Fischer was arraigned in Manhattan on Friday, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which confirmed that he was “remanded and waived extradition.”
It is not clear whether Fischer has an attorney at this time.
