Peekskill man held in Putnam on immigration warrant after bouncing check (The Journal News)

Peekskill man held in Putnam on immigration warrant after bouncing check
BY TERENCE CORCORAN • TCORCORA@LOHUD.COM • JANUARY 28, 2010

MAHOPAC - A Peekskill man who bounced a check at a Mahopac business in July is being held today at the Putnam County jail on a federal immigration warrant after authorities arrested him then began to question his immigration status.

Antonio Machisaca, 33, of 1740 Carhart Ave. wrote the bad check for $601 to Mahopac Tool Rental in July, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

The business contacted him several times to make good on the check, but he never paid the money, police said.

Mahopac Tool Rental eventually filed a complaint, and on Tuesday, Investigators Stephen Tricinelli and Michael Nalbone arrested Machisaca at his Peekskill home, charging him with one count of issuing a bad check, a misdemeanor.

They then took him to the Putnam jail in Carmel for processing, and that's when questions of his legal status arose. Jail officials determined that he is from Ecuador but suspected he may be in the country illegally and contacted officials at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, per jail policy.

After an evaluation, ICE officials placed a federal immigration detainer warrant on Machisaca. Bail was set at $600 cash or $1,000 bond, but Machisaca would remain in jail on the detainer warrant even if he were to make bail.