Federal agents from the FBI raided the home and office of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho early Wednesday, executing judicially approved search warrants at his Los Angeles residence, LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, and a property linked to him in Miami, authorities confirmed.
The FBI confirmed the searches are part of an active federal investigation specifically targeting Carvalho, though the agency declined to disclose details, citing sealed court affidavits. Ciaran McEvoy, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, verified that law enforcement is carrying out warrants at Carvalho’s home, LAUSD headquarters, and the Miami location but offered no further comment on the nature of the probe.
An LAUSD spokesperson declined to comment. Media crews gathered outside LAUSD headquarters Wednesday morning as staff entered and exited the building amid the unfolding operation.
Carvalho, who has led the nation’s second-largest K-12 district since February 2022 after heading Miami-Dade County Public Schools (the fourth-largest), has faced prior scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest. In 2020, while superintendent in Miami-Dade, he helped solicit a $1.57 million donation from an online instruction company to a foundation he oversaw. The company had a pending contract with the district at the time.
After Carvalho moved to LAUSD, the vendor’s platform was implemented but quickly deemed problematic and scrapped, according to reporting by the Miami Herald. In June 2021, the Miami-Dade school district’s inspector general concluded the donation did not violate state or district ethics rules but created “the appearance of impropriety.” The foundation ultimately distributed the funds as $100 gift certificates to teachers rather than returning them.
No charges have been announced in the current federal matter, and the sealed affidavits mean specifics — including whether the investigation relates to the prior donation, vendor contracts, or other conduct — remain undisclosed. The multi-state nature of the searches (California and Florida) suggests possible cross-jurisdictional elements.
The raids mark a significant escalation for one of the country’s most prominent public education leaders and could raise questions about governance, vendor relationships, and public trust in LAUSD, which serves over 500,000 students.
USA Herald will continue to monitor developments as more information becomes public.
