CHARLOTTE, NC — A North Carolina cattle rustler “relied on his family’s good reputation in the cattle trade” when he bought 3,000 cows at cattle markets in the Charlotte area and Virginia, federal prosecutors wrote in court documents.

All accepted William Dalton Edwards’ checks, prosecutors said.

The 25-year-old traded cattle in his own name, as a company called Diamond L. Feeders and as an order buyer for companies run by a man from Texas.

Edwards and the Texas man drove the cows to Oklahoma and the Lone Star State, where they sold them for $1.1 million, court records show.

All the checks bounced, according to a July 16 indictment in U.S. District Court in Statesville that charged Edwards with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government — namely, the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

On Friday, Edwards pleaded guilty to the charge and faces up to five years in prison, said US Attorney Dena King in Charlotte in a press release. No sentencing date has been set, King said.

Edwards foiled his barnyard theft scheme using the bum checks at family-owned cattle sale barns in Iredell and Cleveland counties, King said.

Iredell ranks No. 1 in the state for dairy cows on farms, with 10,000 head, according to the USDA North Carolina Regional Field Office in Raleigh. Cleveland and Catawba are tied for 10th place with 600 dairy cows.

Iredell and Cleveland rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the state for the number of beef cows on farms — 11,200 in Iredell and 10,500 in Cleveland, according to the USDA.

Edwards’ conspiracy also involved cows at a Stanly County flea market, according to the information sheet.

Edwards and his co-conspirator sold the cows before anyone realized the checks were bad, court documents show.

“Edwards and his co-conspirator wrote such checks knowing they were worthless, because there was not enough money to cover the checks and pay for the cattle,” King said.

The conspiracy stretched from April 2018 to October 2022, according to court documents.

“The sale barns — which are family-owned in North Carolina — incurred these losses because they have to pay farmers and ranchers immediately after the sale of their cattle,” King said.

Prosecutors are not naming the Texas man in their filing against Edwards or saying whether they will charge him.

The Texas man was already banned from dealing in livestock, though court records don’t explain why. Because of his ban, he created companies in the names of unsuspecting family and friends so he could buy and sell cattle with Edwards, prosecutors said.

Edwards could not be reached Charlotte Observer on Friday.

His attorney, William Scott Harkey of Winston-Salem, said he was barred by NC Code of Professional Conduct from commenting on an active case. The case is active because Edwards has not been convicted, he said.

“We have faith in the justice system,” Harkey said.

King thanked investigators from the Secret Service, the IRS and the US Department of Agriculture and the sheriff’s offices in Iredell and Cleveland.

By Joe Marusak, The Charlotte Observer (Tribune News Service)