Federal officials are investigating whether employees at Crown College, in Tacoma, Wash., stole thousands of dollars in federal financial aid when they thought the institution was about to shut down, The Seattle Times reported. The college’s owner, however, told the newspaper that the allegations were untrue.

Citing court documents, the Times said that U.S. Department of Education investigators suspect that four employees and three other people faked enrollment at the college and collected nearly $60,000 in federal student loans and grants. Crown, a for-profit, mostly online college, closed this month after losing its accreditation from a national group. —Charles Huckabee