CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A federal grand jury in Charlotte has returned a criminal indictment charging Clint Clifford Sicking, 40, of Muenster, Texas, for his role in a $780,000 scheme involving the theft of livestock, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Miles B. Davis, Special Agent in Charge, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA-OIG), Southeast Region, Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, Donald "Trey" Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office, Sheriff Alan Norman of the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office

and Sheriff Darren Campbell of the Iredell County Sheriff's Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today's announcement.

According to allegations in the indictment and documents in related court proceedings, from April 2018 to October 2022, Sicking conspired with William Dalton Edwards, 25, of Mount Airy, N.C., to defraud livestock markets, also known as sales barns, in Iredell and Cleveland Counties, North Carolina, and in Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia. The indictment alleges that, on multiple occasions during the relevant time frame, 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.

As alleged in the indictment, Sicking and Edwards arranged to transport the cattle out-of-state before the defrauded sales barns and financial institutions could determine their checks were worthless. The stolen cattle were then resold in Texas and Oklahoma. Over the course of the scheme, Sicking and Edwards allegedly fraudulently obtained more than 900 head of cattle and caused over $780,000 in losses to sales barns in North Carolina. 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.

Sicking is charged with conspiring to defraud the United States and to violate the laws of the United States. One of the objects of the charged conspiracy was to hamper and impede the Packers and Stockyard Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its regulation of fair livestock markets. Other objects of the conspiracy included a scheme to obtain funds under the custody and control of federally insured financial institutions through false statements and representations; to steal livestock valued at more than $10,000; and to transport stolen livestock in interstate commerce. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum prison term of five years. Sicking is also charged with bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and with one count of theft of livestock, two counts of interstate transportation of stolen livestock, and two counts of sale and receipt of stolen livestock, which carry a maximum of five years in prison per charged offense.

On August 2, 2024, Edwards pleaded guilty for his participation in the scheme. A sentencing date for Edwards has not been sent.

The charges against Sicking are allegations and the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the USDA-OIG, the U.S. Secret Service, IRS-CI, and the Cleveland and Iredell County Sheriff's Offices for their investigation of the case. U.S. Attorney King also thanked the Stanly County District Attorney's Office for its assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Savage of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.