Michigan grandparents were detained in Mexico for more than a month due to a timeshare dispute after their daughter sued for release.
Christie Akeo, 60, and Paul Akeo, 58, of Spring Arbor, Michigan, were jailed for 32 days in prison after travelling there for vacation earlier this month, and were arrested by Mexican authorities, as her daughter and lawyer previously told Fox News Digital.
“The Akeo family wants to thank President Donald J. Trump, the special envoy of Hostage Affairs Adam Boller and Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Man), who worked tirelessly for Paul and Christie Akeo’s release. “We also want to express our deep gratitude to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mark Coolidge Johnson, Charge de Affairs, and the US Embassy Mission Mexico and his dedicated team.”
They added that after “four weeks of uncertainty,” Rep. Barrett’s commitment to help Akios return home gave them “hope and security.”
Michigan grandparents were jailed in Mexico over a timeshare dispute, as their daughter begged for release.
Paul and Christy Acao signed a Mexican timeshare agreement in 2021. (Distribution materials)
“(Barrett) traveled to Cancun with a great personal risk, went to prison and made it clear that he wouldn’t go home without them,” the hull said. “His heroic efforts as a veteran represent the finest tradition of our country’s military to ensure that Americans never leave behind.”
“No matter where in the world, we should be left hostages to the demands of private companies.”
Rep. Barrett previously told Fox News Digital that he traveled to Mexico to visit with Aquos in prison and pushed for their release after learning of their deteriorating health.
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A red Interpol notification has been issued to promote the arrest of the couple. (fge)
“It’s enough. After spending nearly a month in a Mexican prison, the largest security equivalent to a contract dispute in timeshares, it’s been a long time late for Mexican authorities to release Paul and Christie,” Barrett said.
Akeos is currently receiving care from a doctor and a therapist.
“We ask them to rest and heal their privacy and respect them. The family will be able to say more about the ordeal in the coming days,” Hulls said.
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On March 4th, Christie and Paul were traveling to a resort in Islam Geres. Mexican authorities arrested them on arrival and charged them with scams that challenged credit card fees due to a timeshare they purchased in another resort in Cancun in 2021.
Aerial panoramic view of the Cancun City Hotel Zone in Mexico. (istock)
“The place they are in hell,” lawyer John Manley previously told Fox News Digital’s prison terms. “It’s full of cartel members, drug dealers, rapists, murderers. Imagine something like that every day. For this grandmother and veteran who wanted to go on vacation.
They were detained over a dispute with a timeshare that they purchased through a resort company called Palace Elite Resorts, which owns a variety of resort properties in Mexico and has offices in Florida. In 2021, Akeos purchased the Cancun Timeshare for 11 years for $6,932 per month.
Paul and Christy Acao have been detained in Mexico for several weeks following the timeshare dispute. (Distribution materials)
In June 2022, Paul filed a complaint with the American Express, claiming that the Palace had breached the contract and was unable to provide the goods and services it had paid via Paul’s American Express card, which the Palace Elite Resort had disputed.
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American Express investigated the complaints, sided with Akeos and issued a chargeback of more than $116,000 in September 2022, their lawyers said.
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The Palace Company, local Mexican media and Mexican authorities have spoken about Achaos differently and said they scam the hotel company for more than $100,000.
Paul Akeo is a 21-year Navy veteran and an employee of the Michigan State Police. (Distribution materials)
Mexican officials say Achaos signed a timeshare agreement in 2021, but in 2022, the hotel received 13 cancelled transactions attributed to Paul’s credit cards totaling $116,587, or P2.4 million, according to a press release from Quintana Roo’s Attorney General.
Palace Company told Fox News Digital: “Between 2016 and 2021, Akeos intentionally and willingly entered into 19 separate membership agreements with Palace Elite (attached), investing more than US$1.4 million in exchange for exclusive benefits and fees for personal use.”
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“In 2021,” the company continued, “After promoting and gaining profits on social media, they found themselves in a serious violation of those agreements. They were expressly prohibited on the terms and conditions officially notified of this violation. In April 2022, they approved their bleach and committed refraining from using the Palace brand.
The State Department knows about Christie and Paul Achaos detention in Mexico. (Distribution materials)
After signing the exemption, the palace company “began to challenge credit card companies and membership claims,” the palace company alleged.
“These disputes are recognized despite being related to services they actively used, resulting in reverse payments of over USD 100,000 and substantial economic harm to the Palace Elite,” the Palace Company said.
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Palace Elite filed criminal charges in August 2023.
On Thursday, December 2, 2021, he was a member of the National Guard Patrol in the hotel zone in Cancun, Quintanaru, Mexico. (Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Achaos’ lawyer responded to the palace’s statement, saying that Christie wrote to the palace’s representative on April 8, 2022, that she and Paul ” believe that they did nothing to infringe our contract, but feel that the palace has given them no other option but to sign the document, despite its opposition to our better judgment.”
“We love the palace resorts and if we can’t, we’ll miss it,” she wrote at the time.
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Her lawyer said there is a dispute over whether Achaos is entitled to sell and sell timeshare “weeks” at the resort to third parties, but they believe the matter should be resolved in civil lawsuits and that Achaos should not be sent to prison.
American Express did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
