( CNN ) -- 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 . Internet outrage . The earlier incidents involve two Australians -- a father and son -- and a Canadian and a Brazilian , both teenagers . Rome 's ancient amphitheater , which attracts about four million visitors a year , is no stranger to vandalism . The damage reached a peak in during the 1930s heyday of fascist leader Benito Mussolini , the Guardian newspaper says . The Colosseum is n't the only world-famous historic structure to suffer such well-publicized indignities . In 2013 , the parents of a 15-year-old Chinese tourist made an apology after their son carved his name on an ancient Egyptian temple . A fellow Chinese traveler spotted the the graffiti , reading `` Ding Jinhao was here , '' at the 3,500 year-old Luxor Temple and posted a picture of it on social media . Ding 's family was then tracked down by outraged internet users , prompting the apology . While the Chinese youngster may have escaped with a parental reprimand , as the Colosseum case demonstrates , future scrawlers may soon be paying higher prices for their misdemeanors . Could the writing finally be on the wall for traveling vandals ? Nicola Ruotola contributed to this report from Rome .
Russian charged with `` aggravated damage '' after scrawling `` K '' on a wall in Colosseum . The man was arrested at the Colosseum, where he had been visiting his girlfriend and her family, police said. Staff at ancient monument say the damage has hurt conservation efforts .