An American Airlines flight attendant is facing multiple felony charges after investigators alleged she exploited her employee travel benefits to help carry out a $25,000 sweepstakes scam targeting a 75-year-old woman in Palm Coast, Florida.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the alleged scheme began in November 2025 when a caller posing as a Publishers Clearing House representative contacted the elderly woman with news that she had won a prize. But what sounded like a stroke of luck allegedly became a costly deception.

The victim was instructed to mail a $500 gift card to 24-year-old Destiny Blake at an address in Brooklyn, New York.

Around the same time, investigators said, the woman's email account was compromised. Her password was changed, and the account was switched to an address resembling the original one, potentially helping the alleged scheme continue without immediate detection.

Between Nov. 15 and Nov. 19, 2025, the woman withdrew more than $14,000 from her bank. She ultimately handed over $14,220 through cash payments and Zelle transfers to Blake, according to the sheriff's office.

Investigators Trace Alleged Scam Across State Lines

Detectives pieced together a travel trail that allegedly connected Blake to the victim's home.

Investigators said Blake used flight attendant travel privileges to fly as a standby passenger from New York to Daytona Beach on Nov. 18, 2025. After arriving, she allegedly took an Uber to a hotel along State Road 100 in Palm Coast.

The following morning, an Uber dropped Blake off at the victim's residence shortly before 11 a.m., according to investigators. Roughly 15 minutes later, she left in another Uber headed back to Daytona Beach International Airport.

Before Blake flew home, unauthorized purchases were allegedly made with the victim's credit card at airports in Daytona Beach and Charlotte.

What began as a purported prize announcement had, investigators said, developed into a much broader alleged financial scheme.

Authorized User Account Takeover

Credit Cards Allegedly Used for Nearly 90 Purchases

Detectives said Blake was added as an authorized user to an Apple Card account belonging to the victim, receiving a card of her own.

The situation became more troubling when family members discovered a handwritten note inside the woman's home. According to the sheriff's office, the note instructed the victim to tell the card issuer that Blake was her granddaughter.

Investigators said that between Nov. 16 and Dec. 11, 2025, a total of 88 transactions worth $10,590.30 appeared on the victim's credit cards.

The purchases allegedly included:

• A $1,740.91 eBay order delivered to Blake's Brooklyn residence.
• $1,523.16 in Apple products.
• More than $1,300 in combined spending at T-Mobile, Ugg, a Brooklyn hair salon, Uber and Uber Eats.

One transaction involved an Uber ride in Kingston that was billed in Jamaican dollars, investigators said. The charge occurred two days after Blake had traveled to Jamaica for work.

Digital Records and Surveillance Help Build the Case

Investigators said fraudulent online orders were placed using Blake's name, email address and phone number. Store surveillance footage also allegedly captured her using the victim's stolen card at a supermarket in Queens.

Cellphone records reportedly placed Blake's phone near retail locations on the dates when transactions occurred, adding another layer of evidence to the investigation.

Taken together, the alleged sweepstakes payments and unauthorized purchases left the victim with losses totaling approximately $25,310, according to the sheriff's office.

Arrest and Felony Charges

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Blake on Oct. 13, charging her with grand theft and fraudulent charges, authorities said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took her into custody late Friday. She was subsequently booked into the Miami-Dade County jail on charges of organizing a scheme to defraud more than $20,000 from a victim aged 65 or older, fraudulently using the personal identification information of someone aged 60 or older, and grand theft exceeding $20,000.

Blake was released on a $30,000 bond and now faces extradition to Flagler County, where she is expected to answer the allegations.

What Investigators Have Not Explained

Despite the evidence described by detectives, important questions remain unanswered.

Authorities have not clarified how the initial caller identified and targeted the Palm Coast woman. They also have not explained precisely how her email password was changed or how the account was switched to a similar-looking address.

Those missing details leave part of the alleged operation's origin unclear, even as investigators have outlined the financial transactions and travel they say connected Blake to the case.

'Her Wings Were Clipped,' Sheriff Says

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly criticized the alleged misuse of airline travel privileges, contrasting the opportunities available to flight attendants with the accusations against Blake.

"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," Staly said.

He added that detectives, working with CBP, had helped bring about Blake's arrest.

"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," the sheriff said.

The case now moves toward proceedings in Flagler County, where Blake will face the charges against her. The allegations underscore how a supposed lottery windfall can become a devastating financial ordeal for an older victim.

Blake's guilt has not been established in court.