Fresno, Calif. — In a shocking turn of events, a former Bullard High School teacher, Ray Anthony Waller, 37, of Fresno, has been charged with federal child exploitation offenses. A three-count indictment was returned against Waller, alleging sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child sexual abuse images, and sending obscene material to a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
According to court documents, between mid-November 2024 and mid-February 2025, Waller communicated with a minor by sending text, voice, and iMessages designed to have the minor create and transmit to Waller images of the victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct. 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 investigation was led by the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, specifically the Fresno Police Department, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa is prosecuting the case.
Waller is currently detained pending trial, with a detention hearing scheduled for June 30, 2025, to determine his federal custody status. He has also been charged in Fresno County Superior Court with crimes relating to this conduct.
If convicted of the sexual exploitation of a minor offense, Waller faces a prison term of between 15 and 30 years and a fine up to $250,000. If convicted for receipt of child sexual abuse images, he faces a prison term of between 5 and 20 years and fine up to $250,000. If convicted for transmitting obscene material to a minor, he faces a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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