FBI raids of LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvalho's home and office appear tied to AI chatbot probe
Federal agents raided the home and office of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent alberto carvalho on Wednesday morning in what appears to be a probe tied to a company that developed an AI chatbot for the district. Authorities have provided few details and the search warrants and affidavits remain sealed.
Alberto Carvalho and LAUSD searches
FBI agents executed judicially approved search warrants at Carvalho’s San Pedro residence on S. Parker Street and at the LAUSD headquarters office in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday morning. Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U. S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, confirmed law enforcement was “executing a judicially approved search warrant” at those locations and also confirmed a search in Florida, while declining to comment further.
Florida and Southwest Ranches search
Federal agents also searched a residence in Southwest Ranches, a town in Broward County, Fla., on Wednesday morning. Public records show the Florida property is linked to an individual who worked with AllHere. The FBI provided the Florida address as part of the set of searches tied to the investigation.
AllHere, its founder and charges
The investigation appears to involve AllHere, a failed AI company whose founder was arrested in 2024 and charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Joanna Smith-Griffin, the founder and former chief executive of AllHere, was accused of lying to investors while chief executive of AllHere, the creator of the LAUSD AI tool known as “Ed. ” By the time of the 2024 arrest, Ed had been withdrawn from service.
Connections to Debra Kerr and claims
Public record databases list Debra Kerr as the owner of the Florida home. Kerr is described in records as a salesperson whose clients included AllHere and as a consultant to companies seeking work with school districts. The records and documents show Kerr has long ties to Carvalho going back to his time as superintendent in Miami. Kerr has claimed in court documents that AllHere owes her $630, 000 and has said the company never paid a commission she believed was owed for work closing the AllHere deal in Los Angeles. Kerr’s son, Richard, is identified in records as a former AllHere account executive who said he pitched the company to Los Angeles school leaders. Attempts to contact Kerr were unsuccessful.
Agents' actions and eyewitness accounts
The raids did not involve armored vehicles or doors being busted in. Witnesses described about two dozen federal agents wearing blue jackets with “FBI” written on the back entering the district headquarters, removing items and leaving quickly. At Carvalho’s San Pedro home, FBI agents wearing blue raid jackets and carrying cardboard boxes were seen, and neighbors said they counted over 20 FBI agents in unmarked vehicles at the property. It is unclear what, if anything, was taken during the searches.
Scope, focus and official responses
Law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly told investigators the federal probe specifically involves Carvalho and not the Los Angeles Unified School District as an institution, and that the matter would fall under the broad category of financial issues. The FBI declined to share more information, citing sealed affidavits.
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. " In a separate brief statement, the Los Angeles 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. " Carvalho’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sources familiar with the investigation described the allegations as nonviolent and said the sealed case is white-collar in nature and likely involves financial crime. Some neighbors reported seeing someone in handcuffs during the activity, but sources briefed on the investigation said no one was arrested during the raids and there was no indication agents ransacked the home.
Carvalho has served as LAUSD superintendent since February 2022, joining the district from Miami-Dade where he had been superintendent for well over a decade. He came to LAUSD in 2022 as a nationally acclaimed education leader from Miami-Dade, noted in the record for improving academics and for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis on pandemic mandates.
Ed was an artificial intelligence tool billed by Carvalho in August 2024 as revolut — unclear in the provided context.
Investigators executed searches at the three locations on Wednesday morning; the warrants remain sealed and officials have said little beyond confirming the searches. The FBI and the U. S. attorney’s office have not provided further public details.
