CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  Two men are charged in defrauding North Carolina livestock markets out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced Wednesday morning.

Clint Sicking, 40, of Muenster, Texas, and William Dalton Edwards, 25, of Mount Airy, N.C., face charges in a multi-agency investigation that involved the theft of 900 cattle.

Court documents show that between the years of 2018 and 2022, Sicking and Edwards worked to defraud North Carolina livestock markets, also known as sales barns, in Iredell and Cleveland counties, and in Texas and Virginia.

Authorities said the two made more than $780,000 off of North Carolina family-owned businesses through stealing 900 cattle.

The indictment alleges that on multiple occasions, "Sicking and Edwards purchased cattle from sales barns in North Carolina and wrote checks to pay for the cattle, knowing the checks were worthless, since there were insufficient funds to cover the checks and pay for the cattle."

After buying the cattle with worthless checks, Sicking and Edwards resold the livestock in either Texas or Oklahoma, according to authorities.

"The sales barns—which are family-owned—incurred these losses because they are required to pay farmers and ranchers immediately after the sale of their livestock," officials said.

Edwards admitted his involvement in the scheme and pleaded guilty on Aug. 2, 2024. No date has been set for his sentencing.

Sicking faces multiple charges, including conspiring to defraud the United States and bank fraud, officials said.