Rihanna in Trouble for Illegal Tattooing

posted on Jul 03, 2009

Rihanna may not have realized, when she tattooed a few of the tattoo artists at East Side Ink in New York on Wednesday night, July 1, that what she was doing was illegal. "She came by to hang out with us and her regular tattoo artist Bang Bang," says East Side Ink owner Yadira. "He decided he wanted to get a tattoo from her and then two of the other artists decided they wanted to get one as well." Riri etched "umbrella" designs and the letter R on three resident artists. "She tattooed us for a change," says Yadira. "It's a little umbrella with a capital "R" underneath it. The second and third had a number two and a number three next to it."

According to the NYC Health Department, tattooing without a license is illegal. A Spokesperson, Erin Brady says, "Only licensed tattoo artists can administer tattoos in the city according to the City's Health Code. We are sending someone down to follow up on this." And Rihanna could face three misdemeanors, with penalties as much as $300 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third offense. Additionally, East Side Ink could be facing fines as well if an investigation is opened.

- Pop Sugar

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