The FBI served a series of search warrants at the Los Angeles home of L.A. Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, as well as the district’s headquarters on Wednesday morning, officials said. Sources told CBS News that the FBI also raided a Florida residence linked to Carvalho.
Agents executed the warrants at Carvalho’s home in L.A.’s San Pedro neighborhood and the district’s downtown L.A. headquarters building, the FBI reported, as well as a home in the Miami-area town of Southwest Ranches, which is located in Broward County.
Law Enforcement sources told CBS News that the search of the Broward County home is connected to Carvalho, and that the investigations in both states are directly related to Carvalho.
Carvalho was previously the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools between 2008 and taking the LAUSD job in 2022.
CBS LA
Images outside of Carvalho’s home around 9:10 a.m. Pacific Time showed agents wearing FBI-labeled clothing on the front porch. A neighbor, John Schefer, said the agents were outside the home as early as 6 a.m.
The purpose of the search was unknown. As of Wednesday morning, the underlying affidavit remained under seal, according to the FBI. It’s not clear what wrongdoing, if any, Carvalho is accused of.
A source with direct knowledge said the investigation predates the current administration and is a probe into allegations that Carvalho may have received kickbacks from a business while still superintendent of the Miami school district. The source added that the investigation is not directly tied to LAUSD or Carvalho’s work at the district, and that there is no known culpability or connection to LAUSD.
In a statement, the LAUSD also confirmed that “law enforcement activity” took place at its downtown L.A. headquarters Wednesday morning.
“The District is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time,” the statement said.
Speaking outside LAUSD headquarters, some district employees told CBS LA othat they were asked to leave due to law enforcement activity. They were not informed of the specifics of the situation.
When asked for comment, the office of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said “LAUSD is an independent body not governed by the City of Los Angeles. The Mayor’s Office has no information about this.”
Carvalho began his tenure as superintendent in early 2022, succeeding Austin Beutner.
He spent the early portion of his role navigating the COVID-19 pandemic before shifting his focus to immigration enforcement-related concerns in recent months.
LAUSD is the nation’s second-largest school district in student enrollment, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
