Former phlebotomist charged with disability insurance fraud

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Destiny Mae Black, 25, formerly of Gainesville, has been arrested for disability insurance fraud for allegedly collecting almost $18k in insurance payments while falsely claiming she could not work due to back pain.

According to a sworn complaint filed in August 2024, Black, whose name was Destiny Mae Herrin at the time, worked at HCA North Florida Regional Medical Center as a phlebotomist and went on disability in March 2021 due to pain in her back and numbness in her legs; she reportedly said the injury was not work-related but prevented her from working.

In June 2021, she filed for long-term disability, and in February 2022, she sent an Activities of Daily LIving questionnaire indicating that she was affected by severe pain, low back pain, and numbness in both legs and was unable to bend, twist, sit, stand, or drive. She said she relied on her wife to help her with daily activities that require bending, including help getting in and out of vehicles.

In November 2022, a private investigator surveilled Black and reportedly saw her arrive at a doctor’s appointment; her wife reportedly helped her get out of the car, and she was transported between the car and the office in a wheelchair. Black also reportedly used a cane to stand and walk.

The investigator reported that immediately after the doctor’s appointment, Black got in and out of the car without assistance or a cane, walked long distances across parking lots, bent over while shopping, and bent over to take items from the back of the car without assistance. The investigator also reportedly found social media posts from August-September 2021 that showed Black hiking over rough terrain and rock climbing during the period when she claimed she could barely walk or stand.

In December 2022, the insurance company contacted Black about her activities after the November doctor’s appointment, and Black reportedly said she always needs a cane or wheelchair to walk unless she has someone to lean on; she also reportedly said the parking lot at the doctor’s office is too long for her to walk without a cane or wheelchair. She reportedly said she went directly home after the doctor’s appointment and was “out of commission for the rest of the day.”

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.