KCTV 5Grand jury in Mo. expected to hear Maher case

By MARIA SUDEKUM

A federal judge has ruled that a grand jury will hear evidence in the case of a British man being held in Missouri on a federal weapons charge and who is also accused of robbing an armored car in England nearly 20 years ago.

Edward Maher, suspected of stealing an armored car containing the equivalent of about $1.5 million in England in 1993, has been living in the U.S. for several years. He was arrested Feb. 8 after authorities received a tip that he was living under his brother's name and working as a cable technician in the town of Ozark, about 160 miles southwest of Kansas City.

Maher, dubbed "Fast Eddie" in news reports after the armored-car theft, is accused of driving off in the armored car while a fellow security guard was making a delivery to a bank in Suffolk, England. The van was later abandoned, and the money -- 50 bags containing coins and notes worth 1 million pounds -- was missing.

Maher, 56, has been charged in a U.S. federal complaint with being an illegal immigrant with a firearm. He has been in custody in Springfield since his arrest.

He appeared at the five-minute preliminary hearing in U.S. District Court in Springfield on the weapons charge with his public defender, David Mercer, according to a court document. Mercer declined comment when reached by telephone after the hearing.

U.S. District Judge James C. England found probable cause for the weapons charge against Maher, meaning there was enough evidence to proceed with the case. Also during the hearing, the judge ordered that a grand jury consider the federal charge against Maher, which is the expected next step in a federal case, said Don Ledford, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri.

The grand jury will hear the evidence against Maher and possibly decide if additional charges are warranted, Ledford said. It's unclear when or a where a federal grand jury will meet to hear the case.

Maher's case in the U.S. could avoid going to the grand jury if he pleads guilty to the charge or if he is extradited to England before the grand jury meets, Ledford said.

Federal officials have been discussing Maher's possible extradition with authorities in England, but nothing had been formalized as of Wednesday, Ledford said.

"That is a conversation that's ongoing," he said. Officials in England have said Maher's extradition could take months.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.