FBI Investigates LA Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho: Search Warrants Executed
FBI Raids Home and Office of Los Angeles Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho
The FBI on Wednesday served search warrants at the home of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and at the district’s headquarters, as well as a property in Florida connected to the superintendent. The nature of the investigation remains unclear, but officials confirmed it is a “white collar” case and not related to immigration enforcement.
Federal agents were observed at Carvalho’s home in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, carrying boxes of unspecified items. A neighbor with luggage was escorted by authorities. The FBI searched a residence in Southwest Ranches, Florida and has since cleared the scene.
The Los Angeles Unified School District released a statement saying it is cooperating with the investigation but has no further information at this time. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles confirmed the warrants were judicially approved but declined to comment further.
Carvalho, who has been the district superintendent since 2022, is the longest-serving LAUSD superintendent in over two decades. Prior to his appointment in Los Angeles, he led Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he received praise for improvements in academic performance and was named Superintendent of the Year in 2014.
However, both districts have faced scrutiny during Carvalho’s tenure. Most recently, Carvalho heavily promoted an AI chatbot named “Ed” developed by the education technology company AllHere, calling it “a game changer.” The district paid AllHere $3 million, but less than three months later, the partnership was terminated after the company collapsed into bankruptcy. The founder of AllHere, Joanna Smith-Griffin, was subsequently charged with securities and wire fraud, along with identity theft.
Carvalho reportedly denied personal involvement in the selection of AllHere and stated he would appoint a task force to examine what went wrong with the LAUSD project. However, no such task force has been announced.
In Florida, Carvalho’s leadership also drew attention in 2020 when a nonprofit he founded solicited a $1.57 million donation from an online education company the district was considering but ultimately did not use. While the district’s inspector general determined the donation did not violate ethics policies, it was deemed to create the “appearance of impropriety” and the nonprofit distributed the funds to teachers in the form of gift cards.
Despite these controversies, Carvalho has also been recognized for his advocacy work. He was knighted by Spain in 2021 for his efforts to expand Spanish-language programs in Miami-Dade County schools. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, he became a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, urging authorities not to conduct enforcement activities near schools, drawing on his own experience as an undocumented immigrant who arrived in the United States at age 17.
Carvalho took the helm of LAUSD at a time of significant change, as the district navigated the influx of COVID-19 relief funding while grappling with learning losses and declining enrollment. He previously clashed with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over mask mandates during the pandemic.
The Miami-Dade school system stated it was aware of the investigation involving Carvalho but declined to comment further. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office indicated it had no information about the search, noting the school district operates independently of city government.
Wednesday’s search marks the second action taken by the Justice Department against the LA school district in less than a week. On February 19, the Trump administration joined a lawsuit alleging discrimination against white students under the district’s decades-old desegregation policy.