A former Bullard High School teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child sexual abuse material, and sending obscene material to a minor, federal prosecutors said.

Ray Anthony Waller, 39, of Fresno, entered the guilty pleas in federal court, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, Waller communicated with a minor between November 2024 and February 2025 through text, voice messages, and iMessages, enticing the minor to create and send him child sexual abuse material.

Waller, who was a teacher at Bullard High School at the time, sent obscene images of himself to the victim and convinced the minor to send images depicting sexually explicit conduct, prosecutors said.

Waller was indicted on the federal charges in June 2025. At the time, he also faced a separate case in Fresno County Superior Court.

GV Wire previously reported that Waller was a photography teacher at Bullard and that Fresno County prosecutors had filed dozens of charges against him, including sex with a minor under 16 and child molestation.

A lawsuit filed against Fresno Unified later alleged the district failed to adequately protect the student and accused school officials of failing to properly supervise Waller’s interactions with the minor. Fresno Unified disputed claims in the lawsuit regarding Waller’s teaching credential and background check, saying he had received a credential and passed a background check before he was hired.

Sentencing Set for December

Waller is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 14 by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff.

He faces between 15 and 30 years in prison and a potential $250,000 fine for sexual exploitation of a child.

The receipt charge carries a prison term of five to 20 years and a potential $250,000 fine, while sending obscene material to a minor carries up to 10 years in prison and a potential $250,000 fine.

(GV Wire’s Edward Smith contributed to this story)

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