Alyssa Zinger appears in a booking photo in November 2023. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
A woman who allegedly posed as a minor in order to sexually abuse a teenage boy faces even more charges.
Late last year, authorities in Tampa, Florida, voiced concern that Alyssa Ann Zinger, 23, might have more victims, based on her allegedly telling the boy that she had relations with various other minors around his age.
The other shoe dropped on Thursday as police arrested her for two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation when the defendant is older than 18 and the victim is 12 to 15 years old, two counts of lewd and lascivious battery, and a count each of possession of child pornography, in-state transmission of child pornography by electronic device, and sexual cyber harassment, records show.
Erin Maloney, a spokesperson for the local state attorney’s office, said there are four more accusers, according to The Tampa Bay Times. A spokesperson for Tampa cops reportedly said more possible victims were identified.
Authorities did not elaborate on the new claims. Affidavits are not available through the online court records.
Zinger was first arrested on Nov. 24, 2023. The crimes surfaced after she sent several minors video of the boy having relations with a middle school girl, authorities said. Multiple witnesses referred to this video, police claim. Charges at the time indicated the boy to be between 12 and 15 years old.
“They all believed the defendant to be near their age and home-schooled,” the search warrant read.
But neither was true. Rather than being a home-schooled teen, Zinger was a part-time bakery clerk at a Publix supermarket, police said.
When the boy spoke with investigators, he allegedly said he and the suspect engaged in various forms of sexual intercourse on around 30 separate occasions. The boy also said Zinger regularly sent him sexually explicit images and videos via Snapchat — which was their typical method of communication. This relationship lasted from around May 28 through mid-September, according to the warrant.
According to police, Zinger also told the boy that she had previously engaged in sexual activity with various other minors around his age “prior to and through the course of their [redacted] relationship.”
“Victim stated [he] believed her to be approximately 14 years old and home-schooled,” the warrant reads. “While speaking with [redacted] stated she physically seemed much older than her age.”
Detectives also claim Zinger previously lied about her age when she and the boy were caught shoplifting at a Nordstrom in July. At the time, she allegedly claimed she had a half-sister with the same name who was eight years her senior, the search warrant said.
Jail records show that Zinger is held without bond at the Falkenburg Road Jail.
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