A Michigan couple who was jailed in Mexico returned to the U.S. after spending a month behind bars over a timeshare dispute.
In a social media post on Thursday night, Rep. Tom Barrett shared a video of himself and Paul and Christy Akeo boarding a plane, writing “Mission accomplished.” Barrett traveled to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with the Akeos, citing the couple’s “deteriorating physical condition.”
The couple landed shortly after 12:30 a.m. Friday in Lansing, Michigan. Christy Akeo said she didn’t think they would be released soon.
“There’s so many people who have supported us,” she told reporters after landing. “I don’t even know how we’re going to repay or thank people.”
The Akeos, from Spring Arbor, Michigan, were arrested on March 4, shortly after landing in Cancun. Mexican authorities told the couple they faced criminal fraud charges. The couple had a membership with Palace Resorts, a Florida-based company that owns resorts and properties in Mexico.
Palace Resorts claimed that the couple committed credit card fraud and breached a contract agreement, telling CBS News Detroit that “Between 2016 and 2021, the Akeos knowingly and willingly entered into 19 separate membership agreements with Palace Elite, investing over $1.4 million USD in exchange for exclusive benefits and rates intended strictly for personal use.”
The company says the couple was found to be in “material breach” of the agreements in 2021 and accuses the Akeos of promoting and profiting from their benefits on social media.
However, the Akeos’ attorney, John Manly, disputed those claims and said the company’s decision to pursue criminal charges was overblown.
“This is just a bunch of lies, and I think what the documents illustrate is this is a civil dispute,” Manly said. “We don’t put people in prison in this country or in Mexico for breach of contract. This is a timeshare, not a crime share,” Manly told CBS News Detroit.
The couple told reporters that the charges against them have been dropped.
