Superintendent Alberto Carvalho broke his silence Tuesday over the FBI investigation that led the Los Angeles Unified School District to place him on leave, saying through his lawyers he did not commit any wrongdoing.
“Mr. Carvalho remains confident that the evidence will ultimately demonstrate that he acted appropriately and in the best interests of students,” the statement said. It was given to the Los Angeles Times through a spokesperson and a law firm representing Carvalho. “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,” the statement continued. “While the government’s investigation remains ongoing, no evidence has been presented by prosecutors supporting any allegation that Mr. Carvalho violated federal law.”
The statement came nearly two weeks after FBI agents raided his home and district office.
A spokesperson for the school district said Carvalho remains on administrative leave pending investigation.
“The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education respects his right to defend himself,” the statement said.
Carvalho has 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 and appointed administrator Andres Chait as interim superintendent two days after the FBI began an investigation on Feb. 25, which was related to AllHere, the failed company that led an artificial intelligent chatbot project for the district.
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, cellphones 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 Times — citing a source — reported FBI agents told Carvalho that he could resume his regular duties.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office previously confirmed to City News Service that law enforcement officials had served “a judicially approved search warrant,” but declined to provide any additional details.
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.
Sources told The Times that the federal probe appears to be linked to an investigation into AllHere, a company the district hired in 2024 to develop a chatbot named “Ed” that was expected to vastly improve communications and information sharing between the district and LAUSD families.
But despite the highly touted rollout of the system in early 2024, the system was never fully implemented and the plug was eventually pulled on the project when the founder of AllHere, Joanna Smith-Griffin, was charged with fraud and identity theft, The Times reported.
The district did not appear to have been dramatically harmed financially by the failed AI effort, according to The Times. 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 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.