William Dalton Edwards, 25, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud livestock markets in North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia.
The scheme involved fraudulently purchasing over 3,000 head of cattle with worthless checks and then reselling them out-of-state, causing over $1 million in losses to the family-owned sales barns.
According to court documents, Edwards and an accomplice operated the scheme from April 2018 to October 2022. They wrote bad checks to purchase cattle, transported the stolen livestock across state lines, and then sold them for profit.
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This not only caused significant financial harm to the sales barns but also interfered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s regulation of fair livestock markets.
Edwards now faces up to five years in prison and potential fines or restitution. He is currently released on bond, awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by multiple agencies, including the USDA Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Cleveland and Iredell County Sheriff’s Offices.
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