Recently widowed and living alone, Port Orchard resident Chuck McGuire worried about having an expensive photograph in his home.

“I thought it might get stolen,” said McGuire, explaining why he decided last fall to have the owner of Great Estates sell his Edward Curtis “Gold Tone” photograph for him, which he says was worth $17,000.

“I was dumb enough to put it up for consignment,” he said. “I never saw it again.”

McGuire said he made repeated visits to the business on Bay Street — called both Great Estates and Cornucopia Ailisia — and asked for payment or to get the photograph back. However, he claims the owner refused to give him either, and in April of this year, McGuire says she admitted she had sold the photograph for $9,000, but no longer had the money.

“The whole procedure was a scam I fell for,” McGuire said, adding that while the business is no longer operating on Bay Street, he doesn’t feel justice was done. “I can’t believe she’s not in jail. She’s taken a lot of people to the cleaners.

In fact, last year the businesses’ owner and South Kitsap resident Alice Simpson was sued by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna for allegedly cheating customers like McGuire out of the proceeds from items they had given her to sell.

And though Simpson’s Bay Street business is now closed, the Port Orchard Police Department is currently investigating more allegations of fraud leveled against her.

POPD Det. E.J. Martin said that his office has received “a number of complaints” from people claiming that their antiques or other valuable collectables were taken to Simpson, but she failed to either compensate the owner or return the items.

Martin said Simpson closed her business in July, but that she said she planned to conduct sales online from home.

McGuire said he knows there are more victims like him, and he hopes more come forward.

“Hopefully then the law can do something,” he said. “I can’t believe she’s still walking around.”

According to McKenna’s Office, he filed suit against her in April of 2007 because “consumers complained to our office that they provided items worth hundreds or thousands of dollars to (Simpson) with the understanding that she would sell them on their behalf, but they never received payment and the items were not returned to them.

According to the state’s complaint, (Simpson) accept(ed) goods on consignment including jewelry, furniture, art, collectibles and china, taking a commission of generally 35 percent for items sold at an estate sale and 40 percent for items sold online.

In March of this year, the case was settled, according to McKenna’s office. According to the consent decree, Simpson and her two businesses were fined civil penalties of $50,000, which was “suspended on condition of compliance with all the terms of the (judgement),” and listed 15 plaintiffs.

Martin asked that anyone who had business dealings with Simpson call the POPD at 876-1700.