The Michigan couple's spring break holiday quickly became a nightmare when they were taken to the largest security prison after landing in Mexico and allegedly challenged credit card fees at the resort.
Grandparents Christie and Paul Akeo arrived at the Cancun airport on March 4th. Facebook Monday.
The couple has been arrested for unpaid criminal fraud charges and have been held in a foreign prison for the past 23 days without being held.
Hal alleged that her mother and stepfather were arrested in “retaliation” in challenging charges made with American Express credit cards by Palace Company, a luxury and comprehensive vacation brand with resorts owned by resorts in Mexico and Jamaican.
The couple has a timeshare membership with a holiday company and disputed a total of $117,000 bill from Palace Resort on credit cards three years ago.
After months of challenging the charges, the American Express sided with the couple, the money was returned to Achaos and their membership with the palace company was cancelled.
Since the incident, Akeos has returned to Cancun many times over the past few years and has not encountered any trouble until recently.
“The last 21 days of torture my parents experienced is a direct response to palace corruption, fear, retribution and horror mail against our parents,” writes Hal.
She claims that the company has “requested” $250,000 and that they would sign a non-disclosure agreement that “does not even guarantee their release.”
“If that's not enough, they also requested that it be made public by my mother and Paul to the palace company. I'm absolutely sick of it.”
John Manley, the lawyer who represented Achaos in the dispute over the palace resort, said the case was closed and the couple had been “hostages.”
“Undoubtedly, what they're doing is that they want them to pay, so they're holding two Americans hostages,” Manly said. CBS News.
Hal also alleged that her mother and Paul, a US Navy veteran who has served more than 21 years and currently works for the Michigan State Police, have been “denied doctors, refused to communicate properly and publicly slandered.”
“My mother lost 25 pounds. I know she's allergic to her in 20 days because she can't eat because the prison provides her food,” she writes. “She also has a severe rash all over her body that they refuse to handle.”
Hal also revealed that she had spoken to Paul once in the last three weeks, but no one has contacted him since.
The couple has already been charged in a Mexican court.
Manly told CBS News that the Mexican court granted six more months to the Palace Resort to collect evidence.
The judge also denied Akeo's request to be placed under house arrest and ordered him to remain in prison until then.
“This was intentional, it was known, calculated, designed to force them, and punish them for what they felt about the offensive, illegal and illegal tactics by the palace resort,” Manly said.
Hull said he sought help from the US embassy in Mexico and other federal and state agencies, including the offices of the FBI and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Tom Barrett, US Rep. representing Michigan's 7th District; Posted On X's Monday, he talks to the couple's family and works to release them.
“I'm in touch and will work with the Michigan White House, the State Department and law enforcement partners to ensure that this situation is resolved as urgently and safely as possible,” he wrote.
