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Fischer captured at sea
Ronald L. Fischer, a 70-year-old former anesthesiologist, was taken into custody on Thursday after authorities found him aboard a sailboat off New Jersey, ending more than 20 years on the run.
“A man convicted of sexual assault and considered one of Rhode Island's most wanted fugitives was arrested off the coast of New Jersey after over 20 years on the run, state officials said Thursday”
Authorities said Fischer was operating a 56-foot sailboat called “The Silver Lining,” registered under the name Richard Graydon, an alias he used, and the Coast Guard located the boat about an hour off the shore of New Jersey.
The case traces back to April 2005, when Fischer disappeared while on trial in Portsmouth, R.I., for first-degree sexual assault after prosecutors said he sexually assaulted a woman aboard his boat at a Portsmouth marina.
Investigators said the arrest followed newly developed leads in the 48 hours before his capture, and Fischer was transported to a Coast Guard station on Staten Island, where custody was transferred to deputy U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement.
Wing Chau, the U.S. Marshal for the District of Rhode Island, said in a statement released Thursday by the US Marshals Service, “This arrest demonstrates that time does not erase accountability.”
Task force and quotes
The arrest was described as the result of a coordinated multi-state operation led by the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force (RI VFTF) and the FBI, with Rhode Island State Police and U.S. Marshals pursuing newly developed investigative leads.
CBS News affiliate WPRI reported that the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force received a credible tip on Fischer’s whereabouts, and investigators connected with law enforcement in New York to locate him aboard “The Silver Lining.”
Fischer had been convicted in absentia of first-degree sexual assault and was also wanted for failure to appear and flight to avoid prosecution, according to state officials and the U.S. Marshals Service.
In a statement, Wing Chau said, “Thanks to outstanding investigative work, exceptional intelligence analysis, and seamless coordination between agencies, Fischer is finally in custody.”
Carl Ricci, a former prosecutor in Fischer’s case, said, “I was surprised,” adding, “I just figured, you know, he made it this long, I just thought [he’s] probably going to make it for the rest of his life — if he’s alive.”
Next steps and charges
After his arrest, Fischer remained in custody as officials worked through transfer paperwork, with the open question being whether prosecutors move him back into a Rhode Island courtroom soon or later.
“A Rhode Island fugitive who had been on the run for 20 years and was featured on “America’s Most Wanted” was captured by US Marshals on his sailboat off the coast of New York”
The U.S. Marshals Service said Fischer was arrested on a United States Marshals Service Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution warrant, and he was also described as being wanted on charges including failure to appear and first-degree sexual assault.
WPRI reported that Fischer would now be charged with failing to appear for trial and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, following his disappearance during his 2005 trial.
The Providence Journal quoted First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda saying, “You can run, but you cannot hide from justice,” and that Fischer “will now return to Rhode Island to face the consequences he sought to evade for more than 20 years.”
The Guardian reported that Fischer faces federal and state charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and failure to appear in court, after authorities said he was found guilty in absentia of having sexually assaulted a woman on his yacht in 2003.
