ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A local contractor has been arrested and charged with grand theft and scheme to defraud after authorities say he took nearly $19,000 from clients for cabinetry work he never finished, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said.
Michael Trail, 47, of M&M Cabinets of North Florida, Inc., was arrested by the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
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The case began in April, when the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office alerted the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Property Crimes Unit to a grand theft and scheme to defraud case involving victims in St. Johns County.
Detectives determined the victims hired Trail in 2025 to build and install custom cabinetry in their St. Johns County home. Trail estimated the job would take about three weeks and the victims paid a $12,256 deposit, according to the sheriff’s office.
After receiving the deposit, Trail failed to complete the work and gave numerous excuses for the delays, authorities said.
Weeks later, he asked the victims for an additional $6,500 to finish the project. They paid, but the work still wasn’t completed, according to the sheriff’s office.
In total, the victims paid Trail $18,756 and were left without finished cabinetry, including missing doors, drawer fronts, shelving, trim, crown molding, hardware, finish work and other promised items, the sheriff’s office said.
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Detectives also reviewed prior law enforcement reports involving Trail and interviewed other former clients, including some outside St. Johns County. While some of those clients received most of the work they paid for, all described a similar pattern: large deposits, repeated delays and missed completion dates, and in some cases requests for more money while jobs remained unfinished.
Investigators determined Trail knowingly obtained the $18,756 from the St. Johns County victims by claiming he would complete the project, then failed to do so, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone who hired or paid Trail for contracting work is asked to contact Detective Aran at 904-209-2212 or haran@sjso.org.
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