Feds defend raid on a home

The Education Department is confirming that its inspector general authorized a raid on a California home Tuesday, but it says the officers were conducting a criminal probe, not pursuing a woman because she could not pay her student loans, as has been reported.

The story of the Stockton raid went viral early Wednesday after a local ABC station reported that the inspector general and local law enforcement authorities had executed a warrant because she had defaulted on federal student loans.


Justin Hamilton, the Education Department’s press secretary, said that story is wrong.

“While it was reported in local media that the search was related to a defaulted student loan, that is incorrect. This is related to a criminal investigation,” he said. “The Inspector General’s Office does not execute search warrants for late loan payments.”

The TV station since has taken down the original story from its website and posted an updated one.

Hamilton declined to elaborate on the case because it is “an ongoing criminal investigation.” He did say, though, that the independent inspector general’s office executes 30 to 35 search warrants each year on issues including bribery, fraud and embezzlement of federal financial aid money.

The woman who police were looking for, meanwhile, wasn’t in the home at the time of the raid. Her estranged husband lives there.

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that the officers that raided the home were not a SWAT team, although the man who lives there thought they were one.



CORRECTION: Corrected by: Zeeshan Aleem @ 06/08/2011 06:27 PM Correction: Contrary to earlier reports, a SWAT team did not conduct this raid. Added by ZA per Gregg Birnbaum / David Cohen 6/8/11 6:21 PM