
Michigan couple released after nearly a month in Mexican prison over payment dispute with timeshare company
CNN
A Michigan couple was released Thursday after spending nearly a month in a Mexican prison over a payment dispute with a timeshare company, according to Michael Gordon, a spokesperson for Congressman Tom Barrett’s office.
A Michigan couple was released Thursday after spending nearly a month in a Mexican prison over a payment dispute with a timeshare company, according to Michael Gordon, a spokesperson for Michigan Rep. Tom Barrett’s office. Paul Akeo, a 58-year-old Navy veteran, and his wife Christy, 60, were taken into custody shortly after their plane landed in Cancun on March 4, according to their family. Prosecutors in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, had accused the Akeos of defrauding a hospitality company. The couple was released and their criminal charges were dismissed after they reached a reparation agreement with the company, prosecutors said in a statement Thursday. As part of the agreement, the couple agreed to pay for damages which would then be distributed to three non-profit organizations, according to prosecutors. The case stems from a 2021 timeshare agreement between the Akeos and Palace Elite, a subsidiary of The Palace Company, John Manly, an attorney for the Akeo family, previously told CNN. The couple’s family has said the allegations against them are false. Through their attorneys, the Akeos say they successfully disputed charges with their credit card from a resort company they claim breached their contract by failing to provide services.