by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Steven Anthony Cowles pleaded guilty last week to felony wire fraud related to his embezzlement of more than $1 million from The Claremont Colleges Services.

Court documents indicate Cowles, 45, defrauded TCCS from June 2018 to July 2024. As electric shop supervisor, he was tasked with ordering and maintaining electrical components. Court documents in USA v Steven Anthony Cowles detail how the Santa Clarita resident used The Claremont Colleges Services purchasing cards, falsified work orders and money transfers into its cloud-based financial management software, Workday, and accessed the money from a PayPal account, with 1,343 transactions totaling $1,000,571.

“Defendant COWLES attempted to conceal his unauthorized transfers and the true recipient of the funds by using the TCCS p-cards to transfer money to third-party payment platforms, such as PayPal, knowing that, when transaction data was transmitted from Wells Fargo to Workday, the transaction would populate in the Workday system with only the name of third-party payment platform, not the ultimate recipient of the funds,” according to court documents. “Defendant COWLES would thereafter submit, and cause to be submitted, false documentation, including fictitious invoices and requisition forms, to be uploaded to TCCS’s Workday platform, purporting to show legitimate purchases of electrical-related products for TCCS business, to justify payments defendant made using the TCCS p-cards. Defendant knew the documentation was false and fraudulent because the none of the electrical products claimed in support of the amounts due as stated on those fictitious invoices actually had been purchased on those dates for TCCS business and the vendors on the false documentation were not the true recipients of the TCCS p-card payments.”

The case was charged under Title 18, Section 1343 of the United States Code in U.S. District Court, Central District of California. The parties reached a plea agreement December 8, 2025, wherein Cowles stated his intention to plead guilty to the felony charge, which he did on January 7.

The Claremont Colleges Services employs about 300 people, and “is the central coordinating and support organization for a highly regarded cluster of seven independent colleges known as The Claremont Colleges,” according to its website at services.claremont.edu.

“The Claremont Colleges uncovered financial misconduct involving a former employee. The employee was terminated, and we engaged forensic accountants to review the situation thoroughly and notified law enforcement,” TCCS Assistant Vice President for Communications Laura Muna-Landa wrote in a January 7 statement. “We have taken comprehensive steps to address this matter and protect the institutions going forward. The matter is now the subject of a federal criminal case against the former employee, and we continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities.

“Our insurance coverage has absorbed the financial loss associated with this misconduct, and there is no need to restate our financial statements. The integrity of our audited financial reporting remains intact. TCCS has implemented a series of enhanced financial controls in response to the incident. These include revised purchasing policies, strengthened oversight and reporting procedures, mandatory training, and new system safeguards. While related law enforcement proceedings are ongoing, we are confident these measures will better safeguard against future misconduct.”