Lausd Superintendent Alberto Carvalho: FBI Raids Home and Office Linked to AI Chatbot Probe
Federal agents executed search warrants at the San Pedro home and the downtown headquarters office of the lausd superintendent alberto carvalho on Wednesday morning, in an investigation that appears connected to an AI chatbot project and a company called AllHere. Authorities have provided limited detail; affidavits and warrants have been sealed.
Lausd Superintendent Alberto Carvalho Search
Law enforcement carried out searches at Carvalho's San Pedro residence on S. Parker Street and at Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. 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 the district headquarters, and also confirmed a search in Florida, declining to comment further.
San Pedro home on S. Parker Street
FBI agents in blue jackets marked "FBI" were seen at Carvalho's San Pedro home, carrying cardboard boxes. Neighbors counted over 20 agents arriving in unmarked vehicles. Eyewitnesses described agents entering without breaking doors or using armored vehicles; agents "went inside, got what they were there for and left pretty quickly. " Neighbors reported seeing someone in handcuffs, but those brief accounts were followed by law enforcement indications that no arrests were made during the raids and there was no sign the home had been ransacked.
LAUSD downtown headquarters raid
The FBI confirmed it served two sealed search warrants Wednesday morning, one at the superintendent's office inside the downtown headquarters. District that "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. " Carvalho's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Florida search in Southwest Ranches
Federal agents also searched a residence in Southwest Ranches, a town in Broward County, Fla., the FBI's Miami office said. The FBI provided a Florida address that was searched Wednesday morning; public records tie that property to Debra Kerr, a salesperson whose clients included AllHere. Public records show Kerr as the listed owner of the Florida home, and attempts to contact her were unsuccessful.
AllHere, Ed and legal claims
One source with knowledge of the matter said the probe involved AllHere, described in the investigation as a failed AI company whose founder was charged with fraud in 2024. Joanna Smith-Griffin, the founder and former chief executive of AllHere, was arrested in 2024 and charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Smith-Griffin allegedly lied to investors as chief executive of AllHere, creator of Los Angeles Unified School District'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
District and federal statements
Law enforcement sources who requested anonymity said the federal investigation specifically involves Carvalho, who has served as LAUSD superintendent since February 2022. They characterized the matter under seal as a "white collar" case likely involving financial issues and not related to immigration enforcement. The FBI has declined to share more information, citing sealed affidavits in court.
Public records and filings outline ties between Carvalho and Debra Kerr going back to his time as superintendent in Miami. Kerr worked as a consultant to AllHere and has claimed in court documents that the company owes her $630, 000. She has long ties to Carvalho dating to his Miami tenure; her son Richard is a former AllHere account executive who has said he pitched the company to L. A. school leaders. Other accounts note Carvalho came to the district in 2022 from Miami-Dade, where he had been superintendent for well over a decade and was known for improving academics and for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis on pandemic mandates.
Federal and district they are cooperating with investigative steps. A brief statement from 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. "
The investigation remains under seal, and many questions about its scope and targets remain unclear in the provided context.
Closing: Federal agents executed judicially approved search warrants at the San Pedro residence and downtown LAUSD headquarters tied to an inquiry that appears linked to AllHere and the district's withdrawn chatbot, with a related Florida search in Southwest Ranches and sealed court documents limiting disclosure.
