He Ran, but He Couldn't Hide: Feds Nab America's Most Wanted Yacht Fugitive After 20 Years

“He can run, but he can’t hide.” That saying came into the American lexicon in 1946, when legendary boxer Joe Louis was talking strategy before a match with Billy Conn, who was known for his evasive style.

Unfortunately for former Rhode Island anesthesiologist Ronald Fischer, he found out that you can elude the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a while, but they almost always track you down. He managed to avoid capture for two decades after he was charged with sex crimes, but on Thursday, the FBI announced that they had their man.

 

🚨#BREAKING: After more than 20 years on the run, one of Rhode Island's most wanted fugitives, Ronald L. Fischer, is now in custody following a multi-state law enforcement operation by the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force & #FBI Boston. Fischer, using the alias Richard Graydon, was taken into custody without incident after his boat was intercepted off the coast of New Jersey.

 

Fischer had been a fugitive since fleeing Rhode Island during his criminal trial in 2005. 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.

This is the latest example of how #YourFBI is working with our partners to ensure violent criminals are brought to justice: Read about today's @USMarshalsHQ operation: https://ow.ly/JFKl50ZoFcl

He was reportedly located by an online sleuth who passed on his discoveries to the authorities. 

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Now 70, Fischer was accused of raping a woman on his yacht two years earlier. Following a court proceeding, however, he simply slipped off into the shadows and reportedly used some 17 aliases to avoid detection. He even laid a false trail to mask his intentions:

Fischer disappeared from the Ocean State days before closing arguments were scheduled in his 2005 case, claiming innocence but telling his attorney he was fleeing to a different country.

“Although I believe my trial has gone very well, and expect to be acquitted and dismissed, the small chance of losing could carry extremely and unacceptably harsh penalties,” Fischer wrote in the email at the time, WPRI reported.

“I have therefore decided not to take the risk and to leave the US and enjoy life in another country where I have long been carefully planning a good, safe, secure and comfortable life.”

The trial continued without him, and he was convicted in absentia of first-degree sexual assault and later was featured several times on “America’s Most Wanted” during his life on the lam. 

The victim of his attack seemed stunned by his capture and said she still couldn’t quite believe it was real:

And now, Fischer’s life on the run comes to an end, and he will be held to account. 

“You can run, but you cannot hide from justice,” First Assistant United States Attorney Charles Calenda said. “Ronald Fischer will now return to Rhode Island to face the consequences he sought to evade for more than 20 years.”

He fought the law, but the law won.