TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa police are investigating a case involving a woman accused of posing as a student to target middle school kids for sex.
Police allege 22-year-old Alyssa Zinger posed as a 14-year-old homeschooled student on social media, befriended students at Wilson Middle School in Tampa's Hyde Park neighborhood and then sent sex videos on Snapchat.
Eventually, Zinger reportedly engaged in at least 30 sexual acts with one and possibly more students.
A spokesperson for Hillsborough County Schools says Zinger never posed as a student at any of their campuses and so, for now, the district is not directly involved in the investigation.
“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 a statement, the Tampa Police Department said, in part: "The incident did not originate at a local school and Zinger posed as a home-schooled student to communicate with victims online."
Zinger's defense attorney, Daniel Fernandez, told 10 Tampa Bay they've entered a written plea of not guilty and that Zinger will likely be arraigned sometime in the next couple of weeks. Documents show she faces several charges, including battery and molestation of a person aged 12-15.
Fernandez says they haven't had a chance yet to review the evidence, but that they take issue with the allegation that Zinger ever, in their words, was somehow "masquerading" as someone of a younger age.
That conflicts, however, with part of the police affidavit, which says Zinger began dating the alleged victim in May and was involved in a shoplifting incident on July 25 at the Nordstrom department store at International Plaza and Bay Street. There, investigators say Zinger claimed to be 14 years old.
They later showed her picture to a supervisor at a Publix store in Carrollwood where police confirmed Zinger worked and confirmed she is, in fact, 22 years old. According to the affidavit, the alleged victim in this case claims Zinger told him she had had sex with other students.
Although the case remains an open investigation and police can’t confirm the number of additional victims, police say additional charges are forthcoming.
Authorities ask anyone who believes they were a victim to contact the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130.