'Fast Eddie' pleads guilty in London

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LONDON, March 5 (UPI) -- A British man who spent almost 20 years on the run in the United States admitted Tuesday to stealing a security van containing $1.57 million, officials said.

Suffolk Police said the van disappeared Jan. 22, 1993.

U.S. authorities arrested the Eddie Maher, known as "Fast Eddie," for stealing the van last year, ITV News said.

Maher, 57, originally from Essex, denied taking the van and was awaiting trial, but entered a last-minute guilty plea in London, ITV News reported.

He is awaiting sentencing.

During his time on the run, Maher used false identities like those of Stephen King and his brother, Michael, ITV News reported.

He invested in a number of properties, including a house he bought in Colorado for $120,000 cash.

Maher was initially arrested for illegally possessing firearms, but U.S authorities then discovered he was wanted in England.