A second man has been arrested in connection with a cattle theft investigation in Starr County.

Augustine Becerra is accused of stealing cattle from a ranch and selling them at auction, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Channel 5 News.

Becerra told investigators he was working under the instruction of Arthur Flores, who has been charged with two counts of cattle theft in connection with the investigation.

According to the complaint, executors of the Estate of Ignacia Gutierrez contacted authorities on Feb. 1 regarding livestock they believed had been unlawfully removed from their ranch, located 15 miles north of U.S. Highway 83 on Loma Linda Road.

A witness told authorities they saw individuals on horseback, along with ATVs, trucks and trailers on the ranch without authorization. Game camera footage also documented unauthorized entry onto the property.

The investigation revealed Becerra had hired a group of men to enter the ranch and remove cattle. The cattle were then transported to the Edinburg Livestock Auction for sale, according to the complaint.

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Becerra told investigators Flores hired him to gather cattle on property Flores claimed to own and transport them to auction. Flores gave Becerra access through a gate on Pipeline Road.

Text messages from Flores to Becerra showed Becerra had received a map that outlined the property lines and distinguished Flores' land from neighboring ranches.

On Jan. 3, Becerra entered the estate ranch without consent and allowed other cowboys to remove a right-of-way gate to gain access and capture cattle, according to the complaint.

Based on the map provided to him, Becerra knew they were entering a ranch that did not belong to Flores, but he did not share that information with the other cowboys.

Becerra returned to the ranch again on Feb. 8, without the owner's consent. By that point, he had also confirmed through text messages with Flores that the area with the open gate led to the neighboring ranch and did not belong to Flores. He again did not tell the other cowboys, according to the complaint.

On several occasions, Becerra and other cowboys returned to the property but were unable to capture additional cattle. During those attempts, a number of cattle died from exhaustion.

On Jan. 3, nine head of cattle consigned by Flores were sold. Becerra said they were captured during several trips made in the week preceding the sale. The cattle sold for gross proceeds of $15,393.90. After fees, Flores received $10,286.45 and Becerra received a check for $2,700 for capture and hauling services.

Becerra was arrested for theft and criminal trespass. Flores was booked into Starr County Jail but has since bonded out.