USA11 March, 20262 min read
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho Denies Wrongdoing, Demands Reinstatement After FBI Raids
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
FBI agents raided Alberto Carvalho's home and district office last month The LAUSD Board placed Alberto Carvalho on administrative leave following the raids
FBI raids and scene
Federal agents executed simultaneous search warrants on the morning of Feb. 25 at LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s San Pedro home and his office inside LAUSD’s downtown Los Angeles headquarters, and a third location in Southwest Ranches, Florida — near where Carvalho previously served as superintendent of Miami‑Dade County Public Schools — was also searched, according to FBI Miami.
“On the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 25, federal agents executed simultaneous search warrants at his San Pedro home and his office inside LAUSD's downtown LA headquarters. A third location in Southwest Ranches, Florida—near where Carvalho previously served as superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools—was also searched, according to FBI Miami.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed law enforcement served “judicially approved search warrants,” and supporting affidavits are sealed by the court.
Sources described the early‑morning scene in which Carvalho and his wife opened their door to agents with long rifles drawn.
Carvalho's response
Carvalho has publicly denied any wrongdoing, asked to be reinstated to his duties, and is currently on paid administrative leave while the probe continues. Through his counsel and the law firm Holland & Knight, he said he ‘remains confident that the evidence will ultimately demonstrate that he acted appropriately and in the best interests of students’ and emphasized respect for the rule of law. The Los Angeles Unified school board placed Carvalho on paid leave and named an acting superintendent while the investigation proceeds.
AllHere chatbot tie
News reports link the investigation to AllHere, the company LAUSD hired in 2024 to develop a multimillion‑dollar chatbot called 'Ed' that was promoted as an improvement for district-family communications but failed within months. Carvalho announced a $3 million deal with AllHere in 2023, yet Ed never made it to classrooms after the company shut down; AllHere’s founder Joanna Smith Griffin (also spelled Joanna Smith‑Griffin in some reports) has been charged by federal authorities with fraud and identity theft. Sources say LAUSD did not appear to be dramatically harmed financially by the failed AI effort.
“The investigation is linked to AllHere, the company behind a failed multimillion-dollar chatbot initiative that the district launched with fanfare in 2024 but that failed within months.”
Background and prior probe
Carvalho’s career history and earlier scrutiny are also chronicled in coverage: he has been LAUSD superintendent since February 2022 and was reappointed to the post in September 2025 after previously serving for 14 years as Miami‑Dade County Public Schools superintendent.
Reporting notes a 2020 Miami‑Dade inspector general inquiry into a $1.57 million donation Carvalho solicited from online education company K12; that investigation found no wrongdoing but recommended the donation be returned.
Legal status and seals
Key legal details remain sealed or unclear: neither the warrant nor the underlying affidavit have been released publicly, and reporting says there is not yet official confirmation about the full focus of the probe beyond the AllHere connection cited by sources.
“While the government’s investigation remains ongoing, no evidence has been presented by prosecutors supporting any allegation that Mr. Carvalho violated federal law.”
Articles emphasize that, as of the published reports, Carvalho has not been charged and that no prosecutorial evidence has been publicly presented linking him to a federal crime.