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LAUSD chief Carvalho breaks silence on FBI raids
LAUSD chief Alberto Carvalho breaks his silence on the recent FBI-led raids at his home and office.
LOS ANGELES - LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who was placed on leave nearly two weeks ago, broke his silence Tuesday, denying any wrongdoing after agents raided his home and office.
What they're saying:
Carvalho asked to be returned to his position, according to a statement obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
The LAUSD Board of Education placed Carvalho on administrative leave on February 27, just two days after the FBI launched an investigation related to AllHere, the failed company that led an artificial intelligent chatbot project for the district.
His attorneys, through Holland & Knight Law Firm, released a statement saying, "Mr. Carvalho remains confident that the evidence will ultimately demonstrate that he acted appropriately and in the best interests of students. We hope the school board reinstates him promptly to his position as superintendent. Mr. Carvalho respects the rule of law and the investigative process and has always acted in the best interests of students and within the bounds of the law. While the government's investigation remains ongoing, no evidence has been presented by prosecutors supporting any allegation that Mr. Carvalho violated federal law."
Carvalho and his wife, Maria Florio Borgia Carvalho, "opened their door on the early morning of Feb. 25, to the sight of agents with long rifles drawn," sources familiar with the investigation told The Times. They were placed in handcuffs and put in the back of a car while FBI agents searched their home and took items such as computers, cell phones and some paper documents, according to The Times.
Sources told the newspaper that Carvalho and his attorneys received a copy of the warrant. Neither the warrant nor the underlying affidavit have been released.
The backstory:
The LAUSD Board of Education placed Carvalho on paid administrative leave and named Andres Chait as Acting Superintendent.
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.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: FBI raids LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's home, office
The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed law enforcement served ‘judicially approved search warrants.' The supporting affidavits are sealed by the court. While there is still no official confirmation on what the raid was connected to, sources say it could be tied to a company the district hired in 2024 to develop an AI chatbot, which was never fully implemented.
In 2023, Carvalho announced LAUSD's $3 million deal with AllHear, the company behind a chatbot named ‘Ed’. But Ed never made it to LAUSD classrooms after the company shut down.
It's founder, Joanna Smith Griffin, has been charged by federal authorities with fraud and identity theft.
Dig deeper:
AllHere previously held a contract for other types of services with the Miami-Dade County school system, but Carvalho said previously that he was not involved with that contract and he denied involvement with the selection of the company to develop the chatbot at LAUSD, The Times reported.
In 2020, while Carvalho was still in Miami, the Miami-Dade school system's inspector general conducted an investigation into a $1.57 million donation Carvalho solicited from the online education company K12. The donation was made to the Foundation for New Education Initiatives, a nonprofit organization Carvalho founded to improve learning opportunities for students from lower-income families. The investigation ultimately found no wrongdoing, but the inspector general recommended that the money be returned.
Carvalho has been superintendent of the LAUSD since February 2022. He was re-appointed to the post in September 2025. He previously served as superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida for 14 years.
The Source: Information for this story came from a statement by Holland & Knight Law Firm. Information also came from the LA Times and previous FOX 11 reports. City News Service contributed.