July 2, 2009

Illegal Tattooing: Rihanna under Investigation

By Jocelyn Vena (MTV.com)

She was just having fun. But Rihanna did not realize when tattooing a few of the tattoo artists at the East Side Ink in New York that what she was doing was illegal. The incident happened on Wednesday night (July 1).

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed to MTV News on Thursday (July 2) that someone has been sent to the tattoo parlor to investigate the incident.

In a public statement, the department said, "Only licensed tattoo artists can administer tattoos in the city according to the City's Health Code. We are sending someone to follow up on this."

TMZ reported that if the department decides to press charges against the pop star for tattooing someone without a license, she 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, sources told the Web site that in addition to Rihanna, East Side Ink could be facing fines as well if an investigation is opened.

East Side Ink owner Yadira said Rihanna had not gone down to the tattoo parlor with the intention to ink her long-time tattoo artist, BangBang, as well as two other artists. "Rihanna was there with a few friends and a bodyguard for a few hours, just hanging out and joking," she said, "and BangBang decided that he wanted the pop star to give him a tattoo". Yadira added, "We had a blast. It was so funny and cute."