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Lyle Steed Jeffs — a former bishop of the polygamous FLDS Church, who in June absconded from his pretrial release in a federal food-stamp-fraud case — is apparently at odds with his imprisoned brother, Warren Jeffs, the FBI said Monday.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric Barnhart said at a news conference that authorities do not know the seriousness of the rift between the two brothers.

Lyle Jeffs had been given instructions by Warren Jeffs, who is the president and prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latte-Day Saints. And when Lyle Jeffs did not adequately follow those instructions, possibly because he believed doing so could lead to his arrest, Warren Jeffs "sent Lyle away," Barnhart said.

He declined to give details about the instructions or what Lyle Jeffs did that led to the rift.

Citing "sources," Barnhart said Lyle Jeffs — who in July is known to have been at the home base of the FLDS Church in the Hildale, Utah-Colorado City, Ariz., known as Short Creek — may still be in Utah or somewhere else in the United States, although he has supporters in Canada, Mexico and South America, who would be willing to help him.

Barnhart also said 56-year-old Lyle Jeffs, who might try to change his appearance, is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Also on Monday, the FBI announced the agency is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Lyle Jeffs.

The FBI has been receiving a steady flow of tips about Lyle Jeffs since he absconded and is vetting all of them, Barnhart said. He is confident Lyle Jeffs will be caught, pointing out that Warren Jeffs had been on the lam but eventually was apprehended.

"You can hidden for a while but not forever," Barnhart said. "It's just a matter of time."

He added that "the world has gotten smaller," and the FBI has 90 offices in foreign countries.

Warren Jeffs is serving a sentence of life plus 20 years at a Texas prison for taking underage girls as brides.

Jeffs escaped his court-ordered GPS tracking device the night of June 18, likely by oiling up and slipping out of it, the FBI has said.

He had been granted supervised release two weeks before he fled — despite objections from prosecutors who argued he was a flight risk.

Jeffs and 10 others have pleaded not guilty to fraud and money-laundering charges alleging they diverted at least $12 million worth of federal benefits.

Sect leaders instructed followers to buy items with their food-stamp cards, prosecutors say, and give them to a church warehouse, where leaders decided how to distribute the products to followers.

They say food stamps were cashed at sect-owned stores without the users getting anything in return. The money was then diverted to front companies and used to pay thousands of dollars for a tractor, truck and other items, prosecutors say.

Anyone with information on Lyle Jeffs' whereabouts is asked to call the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office at 801-579­-1400 or a local FBI office.

Twitter: PamelaMansonSLC