A Tampa judge denied bond for 23-year-old Alyssa Zinger, who prosecutors say posed as a 14-year-old homeschooled student to sexually abuse multiple teenage boys through social media platforms.
Escalating Criminal Charges
Zinger was initially arrested in November on two counts of felony lewd or lascivious battery and five counts of felony lewd or lascivious molestation. Investigators discovered four additional victims over recent months, leading to her second arrest last week. She now faces 11 felonies, including lewd and lascivious molestation, lewd and lascivious battery, sexual cyber harassment, and possession of child pornography.
Alyssa Zinger, 23, is accused of posing as a 14-year-old girl so she could have sex with teenage boys. Zinger has pleaded not guilty to a number of charges including lewd or lascivious battery. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy @angenette5 reports. pic.twitter.com/ibcpmvOJPg
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) November 19, 2024
Prosecutors revealed that the four additional victims were 13 and 14 years old. Assistant State Attorney Muriel Moore told the court that Zinger lived a full life masquerading as a 14-year-old girlfriend to actual 14-year-olds. The alleged crimes occurred at different points throughout 2023, with investigators finding video evidence of multiple sexual acts involving Zinger and the minors.
Defense Claims Developmental Issues
Defense attorney Dana Herce-Fulgueira argued that Zinger has a history of emotional and developmental challenges, noting she was on an individualized education plan throughout school and switched high schools. The attorney claimed this was not an adult communicating with someone she saw as her equal. However, prosecutors countered that school records show no indication of developmental delays.
A 23-year-old Florida woman called Alyssa Ann Zinger who posed online as a 14-year-old girl to meet and molest a teenage boy has been hit with additional charges.
She was first arrested in November for allegedly engaging in at least 30 sexual acts with at least one middle… pic.twitter.com/e7IcxTUimu
— Morbid Knowledge (@MorbidKnowledge) April 7, 2024
Evidence Tampering Concerns
Prosecutors argued that Zinger’s parents may have helped hide evidence. Body camera footage from a search of her parents’ home showed her father giving detectives a phone he claimed belonged to Zinger. However, the phone was registered to her mother and had not been used since 2021. When detectives returned, Zinger claimed she had lost her phone. Judge Laura Ward ultimately denied bond, stating no terms of release could adequately protect the community.