NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – It’s a story that has captured the country.

A missing Long Island swimmer turned up alive, hundreds of miles away.

Now investigators say the man, Raymond Roth, and his son Jonathan, were in on an insurance fraud scheme.

But Jonathan’s girlfriend, Kristi Mayleas, insists there is a another side to the story.

More: Legal Buzz – 5 Hot Topics

In fact, Mayleas insists her beau had nothing to do with the incident.

“His father’s been abusive the whole entire time I’ve known him,” she told The Couch. “[Raymond Roth] doesn’t think about anyone else but himself.”

Mayleas admits her boyfriend has “his own issues” but that he needs to work on himself – outside of prison.

“He does not deserve  jail regardless of what took place,” she said. “His father…needs to go to jail.”

For more with Mayleas, watch the full interview below.