![89053455 Colosseum in Rome, Italy](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/colosseum-rome.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
Two American twenty-somethings may face a judge in Italy for apparently carving their initials into Rome’s Colosseum, according to a report Sunday.
The tourists from California, aged 25 and 21, snuck away from their tour group Saturday and used a coin to carve their initials into the amphitheater, the Guardian reports, despite signs in English and Italian that say defacing the ancient structure is forbidden. They carved a “J” and an “N” into one of the walls restored from the 1800s and took a selfie before being caught.
The women may be put before a judge, the report adds, and potentially face steep penalties. A Russian tourist caught carving a letter at the site just over three months ago was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and fined about $20,000.
[Guardian]
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com