Alberto Carvalho’s home and LAUSD offices searched in FBI probe tied to AI chatbot firm
Federal agents raided the home and district offices of alberto carvalho on Wednesday morning in an investigation that appears connected to AllHere, the failed company that developed an AI chatbot for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Alberto Carvalho's home and district headquarters searched
FBI agents executed judicially approved search warrants Wednesday at the superintendent’s San Pedro residence and at Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters. Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U. S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, confirmed agents were "executing a judicially approved search warrant" at both locations and also confirmed a search in Florida, but he declined to comment further.
Searches included a Florida residence tied to AllHere
Along with the San Pedro home and LAUSD headquarters, authorities provided an address in Florida that was searched Wednesday morning. Public records link that Florida property to an individual who worked with AllHere, and an FBI spokesman in Miami said agents searched a residence in Southwest Ranches in Broward County, Fla., in connection with the investigation.
Investigators tie the probe to AllHere and the withdrawn chatbot "Ed"
One source familiar with the matter identified the company involved as AllHere, whose founder was arrested in 2024 and charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. AllHere created an AI tool for LAUSD called "Ed" that was withdrawn from service and never fully deployed. The district spent about $3 million with the company for work completed under a contract originally worth up to $6 million over five years, while the district’s budget this year is $18. 8 billion.
Officials say focus is Carvalho and the inquiry is financial in scope
Law enforcement the federal investigation specifically involves Carvalho personally rather than the district and characterized the matter broadly as financial in nature. The FBI declined to provide additional details, noting that the affidavits in the case have been sealed by the court.
Neighbors, district staff and city office reacted to the early-morning raid
Agents in blue raid jackets carrying cardboard boxes were seen at Carvalho’s San Pedro home, and reporters and photographers were kept at bay across the street. Neighbors said the operation began around 6 a. m.; John Schafer described seeing armed agents outside and said, "I'm thinking, 'Well, maybe there was an intruder. '... So I said, 'Hell, I'd better stay in the house. ' You don't know what's going on. So I'm staying in the house. '" Multiple neighbors said they saw a man placed in handcuffs; media were working to confirm whether that individual was Carvalho. Individuals who identified themselves as LAUSD employees were also at the superintendent’s home and said they were trying to get their questions answered.
District response and background on Carvalho and AllHere
LAUSD released a statement late Wednesday morning saying the district had been informed of law enforcement activity and was cooperating with the investigation but provided no additional details. Carvalho has served as superintendent of the nation’s second-largest school district since February 2022, after leading Miami-Dade County Public Schools from 2008 to 2021, where he was credited with improving graduation rates and academic performance and drew attention for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis on pandemic mandates.
Joanna Smith-Griffin, the founder and former chief executive of AllHere, was arrested in 2024 on fraud-related charges. Carvalho previously said of the indictment and allegations: "The indictment and the allegations represent, if true, a disturbing and disappointing house of cards that deceived and victimized many across the country. We will continue to assert and protect our rights. " A former AllHere senior executive has accused the now-collapsed company of inadequate security measures; even if that is true, there has been no evidence of a related security
What investigators have said and what remains sealed
A spokesperson for the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said, "Law enforcement is executing a judicially approved search warrant at those locations. We have no further comment. " Multiple sources described the case as remaining under seal and characterized it as "white collar" and not related to immigration. Carvalho’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Multiple news organizations contributed to coverage of the events. Officials have not announced a next court date or further public filings; the affidavits remain sealed and investigators have not provided a timeline for further actions.
