U.S. woman seeks reward in "Fast Eddie" robbery case

By Kevin Murphy

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A woman who turned in British fugitive Edward Maher to U.S. authorities is trying to claim a $158,000 reward offered 19 years ago when Maher allegedly stole $1.6 million from an armored van in England, her lawyer said on Monday.

Jessica King, who is Maher's daughter-in-law, provided authorities in southwest Missouri with information that led to the arrest of the 56-year-old British man this month, according to Brandon Potter, her attorney in Springfield, Missouri.

Potter said King hired him to help her get the reward from the British firm Securicor, which owned the van that was held up in Felixstowe, England, in 1993. Maher is accused of robbing the van while working as a security guard for the company.

Maher, dubbed "Fast Eddie" by the British media, is being held in the United States on a charge of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. He awaits possible extradition to Britain.

Maher told the FBI he had been using the name of his brother, Michael Maher, while in the United States.

King recently learned from her husband, Lee King, about Maher's background, Potter said. Maher confronted and threatened to kill her if she said anything, but she went to police in Ozark, Mo. anyway, her lawyer said.

"When you look at it from a legal standpoint, it was the right thing to do," Potter said. "He was on the run."

Jessica King is in the process of divorcing her husband, whom she married in October, Potter said.

Potter said there were possible conditions attached to the reward, including whether Maher is convicted and that the stolen money be returned.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Peter Bohan)