FRESNO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.
FRESNO, Calif. — Ray Anthony Waller, 39, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and sending obscene material to a minor, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between November 2024 and February 2025, Waller communicated with a minor by sending text, voice, and iMessages enticing the minor create and transmit to Waller images of CSAM. During this time Waller was a teacher at Bullard High School. Waller sent obscene images of himself to the victim and convinced the victim to reciprocate with images of the victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation, specifically the Fresno Police Department with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case.
Waller is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff on Dec. 14, 2026. Waller faces a prison term of between 15-30 years and a potential $250,000 fine for the child exploitation charge. For receipt of child sexual abuse images, he faces a prison term of between 5-20 years and a potential $250,000 fine. For transmitting obscene material to a minor, he faces a prison term of up to 10 years and a potential $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
