A Mount Airy man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in a livestock theft scheme that defrauded family-run cattle markets across North Carolina.
William Dalton Edwards, 26, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $334,350.46 in restitution to victims.
From April 2018 to October 2022, Edwards and co-conspirator Clint Clifford Sicking purchased cattle from livestock markets in Iredell and Cleveland counties using checks they knew would bounce. Before the bad checks could be discovered, the pair transported the cattle out of state and resold them in Texas and Oklahoma.
The scam left North Carolina sales barns—many of them small, family-owned businesses—with more than $350,000 in losses. These markets are required to pay farmers immediately after livestock are sold, meaning they absorbed the financial hit.
In August 2024, Edwards pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. The case involved attempts to obstruct oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Packers and Stockyards Division, as well as charges related to bank fraud, livestock theft, and the interstate transport of stolen animals.
Sicking has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the USDA Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, and local law enforcement from Cleveland and Iredell counties. Support also came from the Stanly County District Attorney’s Office, the USDA Packers and Stockyards Division, and the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Rangers.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
