An American Airlines flight attendant, Destiny Blake has been arrested at Miami International Airport. Investigators have accused her of stealing more than $25,000 from a 75-year-old Florida woman through a fake sweepstakes scam.
Blake, 24, of Brooklyn, New York, was taken into custody late Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after arriving at Miami International Airport on an international flight, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
She faces charges including organized scheme to defraud more than $20,000 from a victim aged 65 or older, fraudulent use of personal identification information involving a person aged 60 or older and grand theft of more than $20,000.
Authorities said Blake was taken to the Miami-Dade County jail before being released on a $30,000 bond.
Investigators say scam began with fake prize call
According to investigators, the scheme began in November 2025 when the victim received a phone call from someone claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House. The caller allegedly told the woman she had won a sweepstakes prize but first needed to mail a $500 gift card to Destiny Blake at a Brooklyn address to receive her winnings. The woman complied, investigators said.
{{/usCountry}}According to investigators, the scheme began in November 2025 when the victim received a phone call from someone claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House. The caller allegedly told the woman she had won a sweepstakes prize but first needed to mail a $500 gift card to Destiny Blake at a Brooklyn address to receive her winnings. The woman complied, investigators said.
{{/usCountry}}Authorities said the victim soon lost access to her email account after its password was changed and the account was altered to resemble a different email address.
The woman withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank account between November 15 and November 19, 2025. Detectives also alleged that Blake received $14,220 through cash withdrawals and Zelle transfers.
The investigation found Blake allegedly used her American Airlines employee travel privileges to fly standby from New York to Daytona Beach on November 18, 2025. Detectives said she travelled by Uber to a hotel in Palm Coast. Then another Uber dropped her at the victim’s home the following morning. She remained there for about 15 minutes and returned to Daytona Beach International Airport.
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Digital trail, purchases and surveillance linked Blake to the incident
Authorities said that the victim’s credit card was later used for purchases at airports in Daytona Beach and Charlotte before Blake returned to New York. Detectives also alleged that Blake was added as an authorized user on the victim’s Apple Card account and received a physical m.
A family member later discovered a handwritten note in the old lady's housed instructing her to tell the credit card company that Blake was her granddaughter and had permission to use the account.
According to the sheriff’s office, investigators identified 88 unauthorized credit card transactions worth $10,590.30 between November 16 and December 11, 2025.
The purchases allegedly included a $1,740.91 eBay order shipped to Blake’s Brooklyn address, more than $1,500 in Apple products, spending at T-Mobile, Ugg and a Brooklyn hair salon. There were numerous Uber and Uber Eats transactions as well.
One Uber payment was processed in Jamaican dollars from when Blake was there working for American Airlines.
Detectives said they linked the transactions to Blake using financial records, cellphone location data, online purchase information and surveillance footage showing a woman using the victim’s credit card at a supermarket in Queens, New York.
Authorities estimated the victim’s total losses at about $25,310.