tourist fined $24K for carving "K" into Rome's Colosseum
The price of being a dumb tourist just went up.
Authorities in Rome have slapped a 20,000 euros ($24,800) fine on a Russian tourist caught carving his name into one of the city's most famous historic landmarks.
The 42-year-old man was apprehended on Friday after a guard at the Colosseum, the Roman amphitheater in the center of the city, saw him carve the letter "K" in a section of brickwork.
After police caught up with him, the man was found guilty of causing "aggravated damage," fined and given a four-month suspended sentence.
The graffiti was found on a ground floor section of the nearly-2,000 year-old structure where restoration work was taking place, according to the Italian ANSA news agency.
"The damage to the monument is notable," site superintendent Mariarosaria Barbera told ANSA.
"The incision cut out part of the surface of the structure and compromises its conservation and image."
ANSA says the Russian was the fifth tourist caught carving graffiti on the Colosseum's walls this year.
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Who defaces national parks. WTF are these morons thinking. And the man is 42 years old. I could see a 10 year old, but an adult. What an ass. And his name to boot. 
How original.