Waller is no longer employed<\/a> by the Fresno Unified School District, according to prosecutors. His attorney, Richard Mehdi Oberto, said Waller will make a comment at his sentencing on Dec. 14.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Waller is extremely remorseful about the harm he caused the victim,\u201d Oberto said. \u201cHe pleaded guilty to every charge and accepts full responsibility. He will have more to say.\u201d<\/p>\n He faces a sentence of between 15 and 30 years for the child exploitation charge, between five and 20 years for receipt of child sexual abuse images and up to 10 years for the images he sent, according to the prosecutors. Each also carries a fine of up to $250,000.<\/p>\n The teacher and Bullard student engaged in sexual activity on campus in a photo studio, the court records show.<\/p>\n Waller texted the teen between November 2024 and February 2025 about sexual acts he wanted to carry out, records show. The girl believed he got her cellphone number from a permission slip, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n Fresno police found photos and videos of the teen depicted nude or taking part in other sexually explicit conduct on a \u201cburner\u201d phone that belonged to the teacher, according to court records. He also sent approximately 56 lewd photos to the teen, investigators said.<\/p>\n One text message in the court records read, in part: \u201cIt\u2019s not rape if you\u2019re smiling …\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published September 15, 2026 at 12:11 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n Ray Anthony Waller, 38, was federally charged with sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child sexual abuse images, and sending obscene material to a minor in June 2025. He changed his plea to guilty on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. FRESNO POLICE DEPARTMENT <\/p>\n