Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Destiny Mae Black, 25, who previously lived in Gainesville, was taken into custody on charges of disability insurance fraud after allegedly raking in nearly $18,000 in insurance benefits by deceitfully claiming she was unable to work due to back pain.

As outlined in a sworn complaint from August 2024, Black, then known as Destiny Mae Herrin, was employed as a phlebotomist at HCA North Florida Regional Medical Center. She went on disability leave in March 2021, citing back pain and leg numbness. Black asserted that the injury wasn’t related to her job but hindered her ability to work.

In June 2021, Black applied for long-term disability. By February 2022, she submitted an Activities of Daily Living questionnaire, claiming that severe pain, lower back discomfort, and leg numbness left her unable to bend, twist, sit, stand, or drive. She mentioned relying on her spouse for assistance with activities requiring bending, such as getting in and out of vehicles.

In November 2022, a private investigator surveilled Black, observing her at a medical appointment. Reportedly, her wife helped her exit the vehicle, and she moved between the car and the office via wheelchair. Black also allegedly used a cane to support herself while standing and walking.

The investigator’s report further noted that right after the appointment, Black managed to get in and out of the car unaided and without a cane, walked long distances in parking lots, bent over during shopping, and even retrieved items from the car’s back unaided. Social media posts from August-September 2021 purportedly showed Black engaging in activities like hiking and rock climbing during the time she claimed severe mobility issues.

In December 2022, following the insurance company’s inquiry about her post-appointment activities in November, Black reportedly insisted she always needed a cane or wheelchair unless she had someone to support her. She claimed the parking lot at the doctor’s office was too challenging to navigate without mobility aids and alleged she returned directly home and was incapacitated for the remainder of the day after the visit.

When the insurance company told Black she had been seen shopping and eating out at a restaurant after the doctor’s appointment, she reportedly denied that and denied being able to walk without assistance from a cane or leaning on her wife.

The doctor that Black visited in November 2022 and a doctor she visited in Gainesville both reportedly viewed the video taken by the investigator and said that if Black’s injuries were as she claimed, she would not have been able to move as shown in the video.

The sworn complaint alleges that Black filed a false disability claim and received 16 monthly payments totaling $17,722.42.

A warrant for Black’s arrest was issued in July 2025, and she was arrested yesterday for charges of insurance fraud and grand theft over $10,000, with bail set at $30,000 on the warrant signed by Judge David Kreider.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.