A Florida woman accused of posing as a teen to sexually abuse middle school boys says she’s the victim, according to her father, who claims she has longstanding mental disabilities.
Alyssa Ann Zinger’s father, Josh Zinger, described her as coming from a “good Christian home.” The 25-year-old reportedly grew up in the suburbs of Tampa, where she struggled for years with significant mental health challenges.
Zinger stated his daughter has been diagnosed with a range of disorders, including ADHD, ADD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, and anorexia, according to FOX News.
“She had a lot of problems growing up. Our daughter has been to 10 to 12 psychologists and psychiatrists throughout her life,” Zinger said.
He also stated that she has limited intellect, saying she once received an intelligence quotient score of 72, well below the standard average of 100. On that basis, he argued that the legal system has mischaracterized the case entirely.
“She’s defective — mentally defective. And do you know what that means under the law? If somebody is mentally defective and has sex with somebody, no matter their age, it’s illegal to have sex with a mentally defective person,” Zinger said. “In all actuality, she is the victim.”
Previous Video Coverage
As CrimeOline previously reported in December 2023, Alyssa Zinger was accused of posing as a teenager and engaging in sex acts with a middle school boy dozens of times, WFLA-TV reports.
The boy, who was between 12 and 15 years old and a student at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Tampa, told police that he and Zinger engaged in sexual activity around 30 times over four months, according to a police report obtained by WTSP-TV.
More charges were brought against Alyssa Zinger in 2024 after the police in Tampa identified at least four new victims.
FOX News reported that Alyssa Zinger’s father blames the boy involved in her original arrest, whom he referred to as “the little bastard,” accusing him of exploiting his daughter’s mental instability and taking her virginity.
“That boy found her [social media] account, found her dancing like a 13-year-old on it and said, ‘Hey, girl, I’ll Uber you to my $5,000-a-month apartment — come on and hang out,’” Zinger said.
“And then when she got there, she never said she wasn’t 14 to him, but he knew her real age, and he knew she was mentally unstable,” he added.
According to Josh Zinger, the relationship continued for months, during which time the boy introduced her to other underage boys. Those children are the four who investigators later identified as additional victims in the case.
“The boy who harbored her in his house for five months, he’s the one who introduced her to his friends, and they all were like, ‘Hey, this girl is 14,’ wink, wink, high-five, high-five, ‘Your turn, bud,’” he said.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, Josh Zinger insisted the case would not end in a conviction or long-term punishment.
“There will be no plea deal. There will be no sex offender registry. She’ll get time served and adios,” he said.
Alyssa Zinger remains incarcerated on multiple felony charges, including lewd or lascivious battery, lewd or lascivious molestation, possession of child pornography, in-state transmission of child pornography by electronic device, and sexual cyber harassment.
During her incarceration, Josh Zinger claimed inmates treated his daughter poorly by contaminating her meals.
“S— in her food all the time — fingernails, hair, objects, plastic — because whoever was making her food knew who she was, and they knew that that food was going to a pedophile,” he said.
Alyssa Zinger is scheduled for trial in May.
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[Feature Photo: Alissa Zynger/Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office]