OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
3:30 PM – Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Federal agents descended upon the San Pedro residence and downtown headquarters of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho early on Wednesday morning, executing a series of coordinated search warrants that have sent shockwaves through the nation’s second-largest school district.
The investigation, which involves the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Attorney’s Office, extends beyond Southern California.
Federal officials confirmed that a third search was conducted at a property in Broward County, Florida — a region where Carvalho served as the longtime head of Miami-Dade County Public Schools before moving to Los Angeles in 2022.
Witnesses in the San Pedro neighborhood reported seeing federal agents in marked FBI jackets outside Carvalho’s home as early as 6:00 a.m. By mid-morning, crime scene tape blocked off portions of the street as agents carried boxes of potential evidence from the residence.
“I was with my wife. We were having our cup of coffee, and we heard the sirens going off, and then all of a sudden somebody said, ‘Stay in your house,’ or whatever,” said local resident John Schafer. “I saw at least five, six that were parked in front of my house and one house above.”
“I saw that one was in camo with a rifle pointing at the house. And, as he’s pointing to the house, I’m like, woah. I knew it was the superintendent, but they told us to stay in the house so I stayed in my house.”
Simultaneously, a separate team of investigators also arrived at the LAUSD administrative headquarters on Beaudry Avenue. While the district remained operational, some employees were reportedly asked to vacate specific areas of the building to accommodate the search.
The specific nature of the federal probe remains unclear.
Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, confirmed the activity but declined to provide details, stating that the searches were conducted pursuant to a court-authorized warrant currently under seal.
Carvalho’s school district released a statement on Wednesday morning as well.
“We have been informed of law enforcement activity at Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters and at the home of the Superintendent. The District is cooperating with the investigation and we do not have further information at this time.”
In a statement provided to ABC7, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office added: “LAUSD is an independent body not governed by the City of Los Angeles. The Mayor’s Office has no information about this.”
While the FBI has not named a specific allegation, the raids come at a time of mounting pressure on the district’s leadership. Ongoing controversies include:
- Proposition 28 allegations: A recent civil lawsuit alleges the district misused $76.7 million in voter-approved arts and music funding to cover existing staff salaries rather than hiring new educators.
- Technology and contracts: Scrutiny has increased over a $3 million chatbot system whose vendor is reportedly facing unrelated fraud charges, as well as past concerns from Miami-Dade regarding a $1.57 million donation from an online education company during Carvalho’s tenure there.
- Political tensions: Carvalho has recently been a vocal critic of federal immigration enforcement, clashing with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over “safe zones” for students following incidents involving violence toward ICE agents near campuses.
Alberto Carvalho, 61, has led LAUSD since February 2022. He also previously spent 14 years as the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he was credited with “raising graduation rates” and was named National Superintendent of the Year in 2014.
Just last year, the LAUSD Board of Education extended his contract through 2030.
As of Wednesday, no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not indicated when the search warrant affidavits might be unsealed.
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