Fugitive found hiding as biotech exec 20 years after appearing on America's Most Wanted
Looks like we've got a real-life Catch Me If You Can sequel, with 70-year-old Ronald Fischer being arrested after over 20 years on the run.
In 2026, you might question how anyone can go missing, but as the FBI Most Wanted list confirms, there are some alarming criminals out there among us.
Although Fischer didn't make it onto the FBI Most Wanted list, he landed on Rhode Island's list and appeared on a 2006 episode of America's Most Wanted.
After over two decades hiding in plain sight, it seems Ronald Fischer's crime has finally caught up with him.
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Even though Fischer is now in custody, California-based Immix Biopharma is now looking for a new chief medical officer. It turns out the company's Richard Graydon is apparently Ronald Fischer.
Who is Ronald Fischer?
As reported by Stat News, Ronald Fischer disappeared while on trial in April 2005. He stood accused of sexually assaulting a woman aboard his boat and was convicted in absentia.
A previous incident from 1994 saw Fischer arrested and charged with rape over the assault of a nursing student on his yacht, although the charge was dropped when he pled guilty to assault and battery.
Reports from the time confirm he received a two-year suspended prison sentence.
Just days before his 2005 trial wrapped, the Providence Journal says Fischer sent an email to his lawyer under the subject title of "Goodbye". Here, Fischer reportedly wrote: "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.
"I have therefore decided not to take the risk and leave the US and enjoy life in another country where I have long been carefully planning a good, safe, secure and comfortable life."
Authorities have been unable to find Fischer for over 20 years, with his police profile describing him as a "master yachtsman, a world traveler, and internationally connected."
This is ironically how Fischer was apprehended, with Rhode Island Police confirming he was apprehended on his 56-foot sailboat when it was intercepted off the coast of New Jersey.
The bizarre story of Richard Graydon
For those questioning how Fischer spent so many years on the lam, it appears he was masquerading as a biotech executive called Richard Graydon for at least some of it.
Immix Biopharma hired Graydon as a doctor and seasoned drug development executive in March 2025, although a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed he'd been terminated for “reasons unrelated to his activities at the company."
The Immix site has removed a photograph and biography of Graydon, although you've got to admit it bears an uncanny resemblance to the man arrested as Fischer.
It's said that Graydon self-published a book titled The Genetic Risks of Cancer: The Effects of DNA, Genomics and Inheritance on Aging and Survival in 2017, which described him as an oncologist with a proven track record in the biotech and drug development industries.
Seattle-based Atossa Therapeutics hired Richard Graydon as interim chief medical officer in 2022, while Immix called him a "board-certified hematologist-oncologist with over 20 years of experience in clinical development."
Stat was unable to verify the above, and Immix has yet to reply to requests for comment.
The Rhode Island Police cheered Fischer's arrest and concluded: "We are proud of the persistent, coordinated work that brought him to justice and the numerous Troopers, both currently serving and retired, who pursued this case for the last two decades. They never stopped seeking justice for his victim and we are thankful for their dedication."