A Florida woman, 23, accused of pretending to be a 14-year-old to molest a teenage boy has been hit with more charges as victims continue to come forward.
Alyssa Ann Zinger of Tampa, Florida, allegedly pretended to be a homeschooled 14-year-old girl to prey on middle schoolers and engage in sex acts with younger boys.
The 23-year-old was arrested in November for engaging in more than 30 sexual acts with at least one student as young as 12 from Wilson Middle School.
Zinger was taken into custody over claims she posed as a home-schooled teenager to contact the victim on Snapchat, before allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with him.
She was arrested for a second time on Thursday and hit with additional charges for sex crimes after four more victims said that they had been allegedly targeted by Zinger.
Alyssa Ann Zinger, 23, of Tampa, Florida, allegedly pretended to be a homeschooled 14-year-old girl to prey on middle schoolers and engage in sex acts with younger boys
The 23-year-old was arrested in November for engaging in more than 30 sexual acts with at least one student as young as 12 from Wilson Middle School
She was arrested for a second time on Thursday and hit with additional charges for sex crimes after four more victims said that they had been allegedly targeted by Zinger
According to victims, the 23-year-old allegedly created a fake persona of a 14-year-old homeschooled student.
Authorities said Zinger had sexual intercourse with the first victim multiple times and allegedly sent a pornographic video to several children over Snapchat.
She has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery and five counts of lewd or lascivious molestation on a victim who is between 12 and 15 years old. The age of consent in Florida is 18.
Court records state that Zinger waived her right to an arraignment and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
She was released from Orient Road jail on November 24, a day of her arrest and paid a $7,500 bond on each second-degree felony charge, records show.
According to search warrants, Zinger and the victim allegedly met over Snapchat at the end of May 2023. Until their breakup in September, the victim believed she was 14 years old.
Police were alerted to the relationship in October.
She was released from Orient Road jail on November 24, a day of her arrest and paid a $7,500 bond on each second-degree felony charge, records show
Once officials interviewed the victim, it was revealed that the suspect allegedly engaged in sexual activity with him approximately 30 times and told him that she molested other boys between the ages of 13 and 15 in the past.
Chief Lee Bercaw of the Tampa Police Department said, ‘It is disturbing and unsettling to see an adult take advantage of a child and prey on them.
‘Anyone who may have been a victim of Zinger’s, we encourage you to come forward. The Tampa Police Department will support you and ensure a predator like Zinger doesn’t cause you or others additional harm.’
A spokesperson for Hillsborough County Schools said the suspect never posed as a student at any of their campuses. As of now, the district is not directly involved in the investigation.
Court records state that Zinger waived her right to an arraignment and pleaded not guilty to the charges in November
She was released from Orient Road jail on November 24, a day of her arrest and paid a $7,500 bond on each second-degree felony charge, records show
Chief Lee Bercaw of the Tampa Police Department said: ‘It is disturbing and unsettling to see an adult take advantage of a child and prey on them’
‘This did not happen at our school. However, we are glad that a student felt safe enough to come to an adult on campus alerting them about this individual,’ district spokesperson Tanya Arja said. ‘Our staff immediately contacted law enforcement so they could begin an investigation.’
In July, the accused and victim were allegedly caught shoplifting from Nordstrom at International Plaza and Bay Street.
She identified herself to an officer using her actual name but said she was born in 2009. The officer could not find information on her with the 2009 date of birth she provided but found one of Alyssa Ann Zinger, who was born in 2001.
She told the officer that she had a half-sister of the same name. But after the relationship was revealed, employers at a Tampa Publix where Zinger worked also confirmed she was an adult.