FBI Raids at LAUSD Appear Tied to AI Chatbot Probe as Alberto Carvalho’s Home and Office Are Searched

Federal agents executed search warrants at the San Pedro home and the downtown headquarters office of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Wednesday morning, in activity that appears linked to a company that developed an AI chatbot used by the district.

Alberto Carvalho: locations searched and immediate context

FBI agents served warrants at Carvalho’s San Pedro residence and at LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. The searches took place on Wednesday morning. Officials have not publicly provided detailed information about the nature of the investigation; one person with knowledge said the matter involved AllHere, an AI company that failed and whose founder was charged with fraud in 2024.

Alleged connection to AllHere and the withdrawn chatbot "Ed"

The activity appears tied to AllHere, the company that developed an AI chatbot for the district. The founder and former chief executive of AllHere, Joanna Smith-Griffin, was arrested in 2024 and charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. By the time of that arrest, the envisioned LAUSD chatbot known as "Ed" had been withdrawn from service. Ed had been described by Carvalho in August 2024 using a term that is incomplete in the provided context; unclear in the provided context.

Florida searches and links to Debra Kerr

Along with the Los Angeles locations, federal agents searched a property in Southwest Ranches in Broward County, Florida. Public records show that the Florida property is linked to an individual who worked with AllHere. That property is listed in public record databases as owned by Debra Kerr, a salesperson whose clients included AllHere. Kerr is described in court documents as a consultant to companies seeking work with school districts and has claimed in court filings that AllHere owes her $630, 000. Attempts to contact Kerr were unsuccessful, and neither the FBI nor other confidential parties identified her on Wednesday as a target of the investigation.

What officials confirmed and what remains sealed

Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U. S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, confirmed that law enforcement was "executing a judicially approved search warrant" at Carvalho’s home and at LAUSD headquarters and also confirmed a search in Florida, while declining further comment. An FBI spokesman in Miami confirmed agents searched a residence in Southwest Ranches. Federal officials declined to share more information on the investigation because the affidavits have been sealed by the court. People familiar with the probe indicated the focus was Carvalho rather than LAUSD and characterized the matter broadly as involving financial issues.

Scene at the raids and local reactions

• The raids did not involve armored vehicles or doors being busted in; agents entered, retrieved items and left relatively quickly.
• Eyewitnesses observed about two dozen federal agents wearing blue jackets marked with "FBI" carrying cardboard boxes at Carvalho’s San Pedro home on S. Parker Street; neighbors counted over 20 agents at the scene.
• There were reports from neighbors of seeing someone in handcuffs, but investigators did not arrest anyone during the raids and observers noted no indication that agents ransacked the home.
• After agents departed, attempts to reach Carvalho at the residence went unanswered; there was no sign of him at the home on Wednesday.

Institutional responses and ties to Miami career

LAUSD they had been informed of the law enforcement activity and were cooperating with the investigation. The Mayor’s office indicated the district is an independent body and said it had no information about the matter. Carvalho has served as LAUSD superintendent since February 2022 after moving from the Miami-Dade school system, where he had been superintendent and developed long-standing professional ties, including ties to Debra Kerr that date back to his time in Miami.

Many details remain under seal and could change. Recent updates indicate federal authorities executed judicially approved search warrants at multiple addresses tied to the probe; other aspects of the investigation remain unclear in the provided context.