LACONIA — A local innkeeper says she’s out $25,000 after the promoter of a Tattoo Expo failed to pay her for a four-day Bike Week event at her conference center.

Michelle DuPont, who owns Lake Opechee Inn and Spa Conference Center with her husband, Bob, said she asked police to remove the woman who called herself Jackey Dowd from the premises after the woman failed to come up with the money she owed by Friday at 5 p.m.

She later learned the woman was Jacqueline Dieli of Torrington, Conn., who has been charged with embezzling more than $23,000 from her former employer in that state, according to published reports. The woman reportedly pleaded innocent at a March court appearance.

Laconia police Capt. Matthew Canfield said police are looking into whether Dieli broke any laws here. He said she has not paid for the five-night stay she booked at the Lake Opechee Inn during busy Bike Week and could be charged with theft of services.

Friday evening, the DuPonts met with the tattoo artists who were part of the event and agreed to keep the expo open so they could earn some money during their visit here.

“The show must go on,” Michelle DuPont said. “They’re an awesome artistic community, and they just pulled together. They support us and we support them.”

DuPont said the promoter didn’t do any marketing for the event, which ran Wednesday through Saturday, so attendance was far below what was promised. “The show was basically a flop,” she said.

DuPont said she’ll “definitely” do shows in the future with promoters. But next time, she’ll make sure to get a deposit to cover her expenses.

On Friday, Michelle and Larry Guevarez, attending Bike Week in Laconia from their home in Westchester County, N.Y., took a day off the saddle to get tattoos from Robert Meyers of Raleigh, N.C. He was one of several “celebrity” tattoo artists from across the country who came to New Hampshire for the Laconia event.

It was Meyers’ first trip to New Hampshire and he said he was astounded by the beauty of the area and shocked to learn there is no sales or income tax. He wanted to find out about declaring residency.

As Michelle Guevarez lay on her side facing her husband, Meyers went to work creating an image of their dog on the back of the woman’s leg.

As he worked, Sheri Minor of Laconia made an appointment to have Meyers detail a tree tattoo for her.

Meyers said he enjoys drawing trees.

“They can have emotion, and they are organic,” he said. “You can have a lot of fun with a tree.”

Staff writer Paula Tracy contributed to this report.

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Shawne Wickham may be reached at swickham@unionleader.com.