The father of a Florida woman, accused of sexually assaulting five middle school boys while masquerading as a teenager, has made some strange claims, stating that his daughter is “mentally deficient” and is, in fact, the true victim of a sex crime.
Alyssa Ann Zinger, 25, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual activities with an underage boy. Growing up in what her father, Josh Zinger, described as a “good Christian family” in suburban Tampa, she dealt with many mental health issues, including ADHD, ADD, OCD, Tourette syndrome, and anorexia.
“She struggled a lot as a child. She’s seen 10 to 12 different psychologists and psychiatrists over the years,” the 55-year-old said, mentioning that she scored a 72 on an IQ test—significantly below the average score of 100.
“She’s defective, mentally defective. And under the law, if a mentally defective person has sex with someone, it’s illegal, no matter the age,” Josh asserted, expressing strong feelings about her being the real victim.
Zinger, who was 22 at the time of her first arrest in November 2023, allegedly created a false identity as a home-schooled 14-year-old online to lure young boys and reportedly engaged in at least 30 sexual acts with them. However, her father insists that the boy who took advantage of her was the one who approached her online, which he referred to in a rather derogatory manner.
“That boy found her on social media. He saw her dancing like a 13-year-old and said, ‘Hey, little girl, I’ll give you a ride to your $5,000-a-month apartment,'” he recounted. “When she got there, she didn’t tell him her real age, but he had to know she was mentally unstable.”
According to Josh, the boy kept Alyssa hidden in his parents’ upscale apartment in Tampa for five months, introducing her to other friends, four of whom later became additional victims.
“The boy is the one who kept her in his house and introduced her to his friends, saying, ‘Hey, she’s 14 years old,’ and giving them the go-ahead,” Josh claimed, adding, “This will all be put on display in court.” He predicted her trial would resolve without a plea deal or sex offender registration, claiming she would serve a sentence and receive probation.
Alyssa Zinger has remained in jail without bail since her second arrest in April 2024, facing serious charges of lewd or lascivious battery, and sexual harassment, among others, after authorities identified four more alleged victims from Wilson Middle School in Tampa.
Her father expressed concern over how the accused was treated while in custody, alleging that her food had been tampered with. “They made her food with nails, hair, and other disgusting things because they knew who she was,” he lamented.
“When I go to court, I’m going to chemotherapy everything and turn things around,” concluded Josh Zinger, with the trial scheduled to start on May 26.
Arrest documents reveal that the first victim reported having sexual encounters with Alyssa multiple times, even sharing explicit content with other victims through social media.
