Rihanna breaks the law by giving people tattoos without a license in New York! She didn’t lay a smackdown on anyone like Chris Brown did to her, but Rihanna is in some trouble with New York City officials anyway. And it’s kinda lame but serious at the same time.

More pictures of Rihanna after the skip…

Rihanna not only was busted by witnesses, she was caught by video giving someone a tattoo. Only LICENSED professionals in New York can give tattoos. From TMZ:

We’re told RiRi tattooed three of East Side Ink’s artists with umbrellas and the letter R. None of her pet projects cared that she didn’t have a license — but the NYC Law Department does.

They say Rihanna could be slapped with three misdemeanors for the offense, each with its own hefty penalty — as much as $300 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 for the third.

Sources say the tattoo shop could also face considerable fines of its own if the NYC Law Dept. decides to open an investigation.

Ooops. I bet Rihanna had no clue, but come on! You know officials monitor stuff like that for safety, especially when someone high profile is involved. But at least Rihanna’s crime won’t involve time.