FBI raids at home and office of Alberto Carvalho tied to AI chatbot probe
Federal agents executed search warrants at the San Pedro home and downtown headquarters office of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent alberto carvalho on Wednesday morning in what appears tied to a probe of a company that developed an AI chatbot for the district. The warrants are sealed and officials have provided limited public detail about the investigation.
Alberto Carvalho's San Pedro home
About two dozen federal agents wearing blue jackets marked "FBI" were seen entering Carvalho's San Pedro residence on S. Parker Street, carrying cardboard boxes, while reporters and photographers were kept across the street. Neighbors said they counted more than 20 agents in unmarked vehicles. Eyewitness accounts noted the agents moved quickly; it is unclear what material, if any, was taken during the execution of the warrant.
Search at LAUSD downtown headquarters
One of the warrants was served at the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. The operation did not involve armored vehicles or doors being busted in; agents entered, collected items and left quickly. The U. S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles confirmed law enforcement was "executing a judicially approved search warrant" at Carvalho's home and at LAUSD headquarters. A separate 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. "
Florida search and AllHere links
The FBI provided an address in Florida that was searched Wednesday morning. Public records tie that property to an individual who worked with AllHere. FBI agents searched a residence in Southwest Ranches, a town in Broward County, Fla., in connection with the investigation, a bureau spokesman in Miami said. Property records list Debra Kerr, a salesperson whose clients included AllHere, as owner of the Florida home. Attempts to contact Kerr were unsuccessful.
AllHere's founder and the LAUSD chatbot
Investigators and other officials have connected the activity to AllHere, a failed AI company whose founder, Joanna Smith-Griffin, was arrested in 2024 and charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Joanna Smith-Griffin is accused of misleading investors while chief executive of AllHere, the creator of Los Angeles Unified’s AI tool "Ed, " which had been withdrawn from service by the time of her arrest. Ed was an artificial intelligence tool billed by Carvalho in August 2024 as revolut unclear in the provided context.
Financial focus, district response
Multiple people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the case as sealed and characterized it as "white collar, " likely a financial crime and not related to immigration enforcement. Investigators who requested anonymity indicated the federal investigation specifically involves Carvalho, rather than the district, and that it would fall under the broad category of financial issues. The FBI declined to provide further information, citing that affidavits have been sealed by the court.
Personal and local ties noted
Debra Kerr has long ties to Carvalho dating to his time as superintendent in Miami. Kerr worked as a consultant to AllHere and has said in court filings that the company owes her $630, 000. Reporting has noted that Kerr's son, Richard, is a former AllHere account executive who pitched the company to Los Angeles school leaders. Carvalho served as LAUSD superintendent beginning in February 2022 after a long tenure in Miami-Dade; he arrived at LAUSD as a nationally recognized education leader known for improving academics and for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis on pandemic mandates. Carvalho was superintendent for Miami-Dade for well over a decade before moving to California.
The district released a statement saying, "We have been informed of law enforcement activity at Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters and at the home of the Superintendent. The District is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time. " The Mayor's office said, "LAUSD is an independent body not governed by the City of Los Angeles. The Mayor's Office has no information about this. "
Neighbors' reports that someone was seen in handcuffs during the activity appear to contrast with official information: people briefed on the investigation said no one was arrested during the raids and there was no indication agents ransacked the home.
Investigators confirmed two search warrants were executed on Wednesday morning, and the bureau has said it cannot discuss the nature of the investigation while the warrants and affidavits remain under seal.
Closing: Federal authorities carried out coordinated searches Wednesday at Carvalho's San Pedro residence, the downtown LAUSD headquarters and a Florida home tied by public records to an individual who worked with AllHere; officials say they are cooperating while key affidavits remain sealed.
