Justin Bieber charged with illegally spraying graffiti in Rio de Janeiro

Justin Bieber has been charged in Brazil with illegally spraying graffiti in Rio de Janeiro.

Justin Bieber, 19, could be fined after pictures appeared in local media to show him painting a wall.

Defacing buildings is a crime in Brazil punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine.

However, Brazilian officials described the case involving Justin Bieber as “a minor offence”. There was no immediate comment from his management team.

In a statement, Brazil’s civil police force said Justin Bieber had been charged with “defacing a building or urban monument by graffiti or other means”.

Brazilian media reported and published photos appearing to show Justin Bieber spraying graffiti on the wall of the abandoned Hotel Nacional.

The pictures showed the singer wearing a red cap and army pants – with a security guard on one side, a police car parked on the other.

It emerged that Justin Bieber had authorization from the City Hall to paint at a sports facility nearby, but members of his entourage claim he chose a different location to avoid his fans.

Police argued the consent did not extend to any other places.

According to the Globo TV network, Justin Bieber flew out of Brazil on Wednesday afternoon on a private jet and went to Paraguay, where he was scheduled to perform.

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