Kansas City - A British man suspected of stealing $1.6 million from an armored van in 1993 and then fleeing to the United States agreed to be deported to England during a hearing on Friday in Missouri, where he is in custody, according to court records.
A federal magistrate in Springfield, Missouri ordered Edward Maher, dubbed “Fast Eddie” by the British media, turned over to immigration officials, according to court records. Prosecutors and Maher's defense team filed a motion seeking his deportation.
No timetable was set for the deportation.
British authorities allege that Maher stole bags of cash and coins while working as a security guard for the British firm Securicor, which owned the van that was held up in Felixstowe, England, in 1993.
He was arrested in Ozark, Missouri, on February 08 and indicted for possessing four guns. He came to the attention of police after being turned in by his daughter-in-law, Jessica King, according to her lawyer Brandon Potter of Springfield.
A federal grand jury in Springfield later indicted Maher, accusing him of using a fraudulent U.S. Social Security card and holding a state driver's license in the name of his brother, Michael Maher, who lives in England.
Edward Maher used his brother's identity in the United States, according to an affidavit he filed in court. Edward Maher told the FBI he fled to the United States in 1998, according to an affidavit filed in a federal court earlier this year. - Reuters