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Rhode Island Sex Assault Fugitive Caught At Sea After 21 Years

Written by TNNBot on

Ronald L. Fischer, a Rhode Island fugitive wanted in a 2003 yacht sexual assault, was captured Thursday about an hour off the New Jersey coast while aboard a 56-foot boat.[1]

The operation led agents to intercept a vessel named "The Silver Lining," where Fischer was sailing under the alias Richard Graydon and was arrested without incident.[1] Authorities say he was tracked to New York during a 48-hour operation announced Thursday, July 16, and was taken into custody in New York by U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement.[1] The arrest involved the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force, the FBI, Rhode Island State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Marshal Wing Chau said the case shows time does not erase accountability.[1]

Fischer fled Rhode Island in 2005 during his trial for a 2003 yacht sexual assault and was later convicted in absentia of first-degree sexual assault, failure to appear and flight to avoid prosecution.[1]

The arrest ends a 21-year run after he slipped away from that trial more than two decades ago.[1]

  1. CBS News
Law Enforcement & Courts Sex Crimes
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📌 Key Facts

  • Ronald L. Fischer fled Rhode Island in 2005 during his trial for a 2003 yacht sexual assault and was convicted in absentia of first-degree sexual assault, failure to appear, and flight to avoid prosecution.
  • During a 48-hour operation announced Thursday, July 16, 2026, federal and Rhode Island authorities tracked Fischer to New York and then intercepted his 56-foot boat about an hour off the New Jersey coast.
  • Fischer was sailing under the alias Richard Graydon on a vessel named "The Silver Lining" and was arrested without incident; he is now in custody in New York under U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement.
  • The arrest involved the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force, FBI, Rhode Island State Police and U.S. Marshals Service, and was described by U.S. Marshal Wing Chau as demonstrating that time does not erase accountability.

📰 Source Timeline (1)

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July 17, 2026
1:38 PM
"Master yachtsman" fugitive captured on boat after 21 years on the run
CBS News