Ronald L. Fischer, a former Rhode Island doctor who spent more than two decades evading authorities, appeared in Newport County Superior Court on Monday, asserting that he has been unable to retain private legal counsel due to frozen assets. Fischer, 70, was arrested last month aboard his custom $1.4 million sailboat, the Silver Lining, near lower Manhattan after living under multiple aliases, including “Dr. Richard Graydon,” and concealing his identity while working in the biotech industry.
During a brief court appearance, Fischer told Judge William E. Carnes Jr. that although he has the financial means to hire an attorney, he currently lacks access to his funds because a Providence court froze his assets in relation to a recent civil lawsuit filed by Cheryl Gingerich. Gingerich, who was sexually assaulted by Fischer in 2003 and who secured his conviction in absentia in 2005, initiated the civil suit last month, alleging that Fischer trapped her aboard his boat and raped her. A temporary restraining order was granted against Fischer, freezing his assets ahead of a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Fischer, subdued and handcuffed, stated he is actively seeking legal representation, with assistance from a public defender who had previously been part of his defense team, though his former lead attorney, Robert B. Mann, passed away earlier this year. Judge Carnes referred Fischer to the public defender’s office and set a deadline of August 24 for him to secure counsel.
Once a prosperous anesthesiologist and biotech executive, Fischer’s decades-long fugitive status began when he disappeared amid his 2005 sexual assault trial. Over the ensuing years, he reportedly used multiple false identities to maintain employment and evade capture. Since his arrest on July 16, he has been held without bail.
Additional allegations have surfaced in connection with Fischer. Another woman, identified only as J.L., accuses him of raping her aboard his yacht in 2002 after inviting her on a date. J.L. did not report the incident at the time to protect her teenage son’s awareness of the alleged assault. At Monday’s hearing, she expressed hope that Fischer receives a life sentence plus additional time commensurate with his years as a fugitive, denouncing his recent claims about difficulty finding legal counsel as a tactic to delay proceedings.
The mother of Gingerich’s son, Jan Hilfer, voiced frustration with Fischer’s apparent attempts to prolong legal proceedings, emphasizing that Fischer has had more than two decades to prepare for his retrial and expressing concern about potential other victims. Medical licensing boards in Massachusetts and Rhode Island had revoked Fischer’s medical licenses following credible accusations of sexual assault after a 1994 incident aboard his yacht in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Several individuals who claim to have had encounters with Fischer, including Babette Augustin, a former journalist who attended the hearing to support the accusers, described Fischer as manipulative and deceitful, with a history of preying on women.
Monday’s court session lasted only a few minutes, with Fischer’s legal situation remaining unresolved. The case continues to draw attention as further legal actions and hearings are anticipated in the coming weeks.