The father of JAMIE-LYNN SPEARS' baby is not CASEY ALDRIDGE, but an older man who could face rape charges over the conception, according to new U.S. reports.

American magazine Star claims the Spears family are paying Aldridge, 18, to play dad in a bid to mask the father's true identity and avoid the shame of an under-age sex scandal involving 16-year-old Jamie-Lynn.

The reports come days after Jamie-Lynn confirmed she is 12-weeks pregnant with student Aldridge's baby during an interview with OK! magazine.

According to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton's website, a Star source is reported as saying, "Casey is being paid off to be the family's fall guy while the real father remains unidentified.

"The man many suspect is the father, however, would face charges and probably prison time if he were to come forward and admit he had sex with her."

Star magazine quotes "two separate Spears family insiders" who believe the father is someone who works on Jamie-Lynn's kids' TV show, Zoey 101.

The source adds, "In Hollywood, little girls grow up fast, and she is no exception. With everything that has gone on in her family, she needed someone to look up to. But the man she found seems to have completely taken advantage of her."

In Jamie-Lynn's home state of Louisiana, Aldridge would escape legal action because a 16-year-old can legally have sex with a person less than two years older.