Texas man charged with $159,000 cattle fraud after using bad checks
A 25-year-old from Barry, Texas, was charged with a felony after allegedly buying 77 cattle with fraudulent checks worth about $159,600.
Leon County Sheriff’s officials announced that 25-year-old Payton Dean Carroll of Barry, Texas, has been charged with second-degree felony cattle theft for allegedly acquiring 77 cattle from Buffalo Livestock Marketing, Inc. with counterfeit checks. The purported value of the transaction is $159,604.03. Investigators from the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division opened the case on July 17 after receiving a tip, and the probe was supported by the Buffalo Police Department, the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office praised the inter-agency cooperation in the investigation. This case underscores ongoing challenges in the Texas cattle market, where steer prices are rising and cattle numbers are falling due to land development and an aging rancher population.
Why it matters
The case highlights fraud risks in the livestock industry and law-enforcement coordination in Texas.
In this story