A federal grand jury has indicted Ray Anthony Waller, 37, from Fresno on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, receipt of child sexual abuse images, and sending obscene material to a minor. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith made the announcement.
Court documents reveal that between November 2024 and February 2025, Waller allegedly communicated with a minor through text messages and iMessages to obtain sexually explicit images. He reportedly sent obscene images of himself to the victim and persuaded the victim to reciprocate with similar content. Waller is currently in detention awaiting trial, with a detention hearing scheduled for June 30, 2025. He faces additional charges in Fresno County Superior Court related to this conduct.
The Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation with contributions from the Fresno Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa is leading the prosecution.
If convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor, Waller could face a prison sentence ranging from 15 to 30 years and fines up to $250,000. For receiving child sexual abuse images, he faces 5 to 20 years in prison and similar fines. Transmitting obscene material could result in up to 10 years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000. Sentencing would be at the court’s discretion after considering statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The charges are allegations at this stage; Waller is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice since May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating resources across federal, state, and local levels for apprehending offenders and rescuing victims.
