Rihanna Tattoo Parlor Fined -- But Not For Her Unlicensed Work

The Manhattan tattoo parlor where Rihanna was seen tattooing several people in July has been fined. According to a rep for the NYC Health Department, a citation has been issued to East Side Ink for allowing an unlicensed tattoo artist to work there.

"Yes, a violation was issued to East Side Ink after an inspector found the parlor operating with an unlicensed tattoo artist on the site," the rep tells MTV News about the violation. "All Health Code violations can range in fines between $200 and $2,000."

But the statement clarified that the fine was not actually for the Rihanna incident. "Rihanna was not found at the parlor when the Health Department inspector followed up," the statement continues. "The Health Department received a call about Rihanna, sent out an inspector, Rihanna was not at the site, the inspector conducted an inspection of the parlor and found an unlicensed tattoo artist operating on the premises — the Health Department issued a violation to the parlor for this unlicensed tattoo artist."

Back on July 2 after news broke that Rihanna had tattooed several of the employees of the shop, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed to MTV News that someone had been sent to the tattoo parlor to investigate the incident

Also in July, MTV News spoke to East Side Ink owner Yadira, who said that Rihanna hadn't visited East Side with the intention of inking her longtime tattoo artist, BangBang, as well as two other artists at the parlor.

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."
source: www.mtv.com