Recently an American couple was imprisoned in Cancun, Mexico, when they were on the way back home. They were charged with defrauding Palace Resorts for more than $116,000. Christy and Paul Akeo stayed in the prison for almost a month.
This is a one-of-a-kind case. The couple was thrown into maximum security prison in a timeshare dispute before even charges were filed, and the case was investigated. There was just an assumption of crime and not proven.
The Mexican police arrested them over a business dispute with the high-end resort. Paul and Christy claimed the resort didn’t live up to their expectations! So the resort got the police involved in a civil dispute stating the couple was fraudulent.
President Donald Trump heard about the unfair treatment and sent a team to help them. After almost a month, they returned back on Thursday and were seen returning via private plane. Michigan representative Tom Barrett was also with them. The couple showed their gratitude to the president and thanked him for the help. Upon their return, press secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted the good news.
In their thank you video, the couple shared, ‘We are one on our way back to the United States,’ he said in the video. ‘Thank you so much for your help, your investment in this cause and your team and everything you did to help them get loose and get free. ‘It’s a great day to be an American. Thank you very much,’
Besides, the hostage team was led by Adam Boehler. Trump’s administrative team communicated with the CEO of Palace Resorts. Both the parties concluded the charges were unfair. The Palace Resorts agreed to drop all charges. As a result, the couple was released at the earliest.
🚨NEW: American couple reveals how Trump freed them from Mexican prison after they were jailed in timeshare dispute’ https://t.co/ddKO4Z5sgm
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 4, 2025
As the couple thanked the whole team, they also said that there was a contract dispute, and they did not commit any crime. They considered there were issues with the contract between the years 2021 and 2022. Therefore, they acted on the 13 payments.
The amount contested was around $116,587.84, which was refunded to them via American Express. On hearing the good news, the couple decided to pay it forward. They have made the choice to donate the money to a nonprofit establishment in Mexico that works toward orphan children.
Furthermore, there was a statement that all parties regretted the occurrence of the incident. They are thankful to the Michigan Congressman Tom Barrett, President Trump and Special Presidential Envoy Adam Boehler for resolving the issue.
On hearing this news, people appreciated Trump’s efforts and said that Sleepy Joe would have never done this. He would have let Americans rot in the Mexican jail. Trump seems to be a great help when it comes to Americans being treated unfairly. He definitely has more such plans in his current tenure, meanwhile, he’s also preparing for running for president again.
I saw the original post from their daughter.
They were arrested under false charges accused by the hotel they were staying at, according to her.
Glad to see that appropriate measures were taken to safeguard American citizens. 🇺🇸
— Stanley Cardona Toledo (@StanTheMan0422) April 4, 2025
This was a messy situation for the couple. Even their daughter stated they were legally right when they contested the charges on their card and did not deserve to be imprisoned. All is well in the Akeo family since they have returned.
