New York flight attendant accused of scamming Palm Coast senior out of $25K arrested at Miami airport

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A New York flight attendant was arrested at Miami International Airport after she was accused of taking part in a sweepstakes scam that cost a 75-year-old Palm Coast woman about $25,310, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.

Destiny Blake, 24, of Brooklyn, was arrested late Friday on a Flagler County warrant as she arrived on an international flight, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said. She faces charges of organized scheme to defraud a person 65 or older of more than $20,000, fraudulent use of personal identification information belonging to a person 60 or older, and grand theft of more than $20,000.

According to the arrest affidavit, the victim received a call in November 2025 from someone claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House and saying she had won a prize. The caller told her to mail a $500 gift card to Blake at a Brooklyn address. The victim also lost access to her email account after its password and recovery information were changed, the affidavit says.

Investigators allege Blake received $14,220 in cash and Zelle payments from the victim. The affidavit says Blake used her flight attendant benefits to fly from New York to Daytona Beach on Nov. 18, then traveled by Uber to Palm Coast. The next morning, she was driven to the victim’s home and picked up about 15 minutes later, investigators said.

The affidavit lists 88 unauthorized credit card charges totaling $10,590.30 from Nov. 16 to Dec. 11, 2025. They included a $1,740.91 eBay order shipped to Blake’s Brooklyn address, $1,523.16 in Apple purchases, a $1,012.49 T-Mobile web order, and a $272.19 Ugg purchase.

The charges also included purchases at a Brooklyn hair salon, grocery and clothing stores, as well as dozens of Uber rides and Uber Eats orders. One Uber charge was billed in Jamaican dollars in Kingston, the affidavit said.

Investigators said the eBay order used Blake’s name, email address and phone number. They also cited surveillance footage of a woman using the victim’s card at a Queens supermarket and cellphone data placing Blake’s phone near stores on transaction dates.

“Most flight attendants use their benefits to see the world. Blake used her’s to further a scam against a senior resident, live a lavish lifestyle using stolen bank cards and thinking she could get away with it,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Her wings were clipped by our detectives and with the help of CPB she was arrested. Her next trip? Flagler County to be held accountable for her crimes.”

Blake was taken to the Miami-Dade County jail and later released on $30,000 bond, the sheriff’s office said. An arrest warrant was issued Oct. 13.