St. Johns County detectives are asking the public to come forward with information about Michael Trail, a local contractor whose photo was posted on the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page Monday as part of an investigation into alleged property crimes.
Trail, who owns M & M Cabinetry, told News4JAX he has not committed any crimes and said the post is damaging his reputation and business.
“This is wrong. It needs to be taken down immediately because it’s slander,” Trail said. “They have nothing that they’re going off of.”
In the post, the sheriff’s office said detectives are investigating M&M Cabinets of Florida for scheme to defraud and grand theft. Detectives asked anyone who hired or paid Trail for contracting work to contact investigators.
Trail said he does not know which customer prompted the inquiry and insisted any disagreement should be handled as a civil matter.
“I don’t know who this customer is or what the grounds of the sheriff’s office is going [by], but at the end of the day that is called civil,” Trail said. “We don’t take money and run away with money.”
Trail said the photo used in the post was taken during a 2023 arrest in Lafayette County in a case involving a customer dispute. He said he was ordered to pay back nearly $4,000 and he provided photos to News4JAX of cabinetry he said he delivered that year, arguing he was falsely portrayed as a scammer.
Trail also said he had not been contacted by investigators before learning about the post from WJXT News4JAX Anchor Tarik Minor.
“I have not had any lawyers contact me, no letters from the law contact me,” he said. “No sheriff investigators.”
Trail said he believes the situation will be resolved and called the investigation an attack on his family and faith.
“This is an attack on my faith, this is an attack on my family, this was an attack on my name, and this is an attack on my business,” he said.
St. Johns County deputies told News4JAX they posted Trail’s image online after law enforcement in Lafayette and Dixie County contacted them for assistance in their investigation. Deputies said St. Johns County has not filed formal criminal charges against Trail.