Brielle Meyer

^{Photo credit: WZZM 13}

Paul and Christy Akeo’s plane landed in Michigan overnight after a timeshare dispute locked them in a Mexican prison. We now know how they secured their release.

Note: This is a story I wrote for WZZM 13 in April of 2025. The original can be found here.

“Each party regrets that this incident occurred,” reads a statement from the Palace Company on Friday.

The statement comes the day after Paul and Christy Akeo boarded a plane to return to Michigan after spending 30 days in a Mexican prison. It was all due to a timeshare dispute with the Palace Company.

The dispute began back in 2022, one year after the couple entered into a timeshare agreement with Palace Company. Palace Company alleged that the couple breached their agreement, costing Palace Company a total monetary loss of $116,587.84.

That money came from 13 different charges from Palace Company, charged to the couple’s American Express card. The couple disputed the 13 charges, and American Express sided with them and their lawyer back in 2022.

International authorities arrested the couple as soon as they arrived in Mexico on March 4, 2025. They had planned a trip to Cancun. Instead of getting off the plane to their tropical vacation, they were brought to a maximum security prison facility.

Congressman Tom Barrett, who represents Michigan’s 7th District, flew to Mexico earlier this week to meet with the couple, tour the prison facility and negotiate with authorities for their release back to the United States. 

The next day, on April 3, he said the couple was coming home. 

RELATED: Paul and Christy Akeo greeted at Lansing airport by children after 30 days imprisoned in Mexico

Now, that $116,587.84 won’t be awarded to Palace Company. The Akeos won’t be keeping it either. Palace Company said on Friday they reached an agreement with the couple to give the money to a non-profit in Mexico benefiting orphan children.

You can read the full statement that outlines the agreement of their release from the Palace Company here:

“The Palace Company (Palace) and Paul and Christy Akeo (the Akeos) have agreed to a resolution of their dispute which resulted in a criminal complaint by Palace against the Akeos and their subsequent arrest and detention in Mexico.

The Palace Company and the Akeos agree that $116,587.84, the amount that was contested by the Akeos and refunded to them by American Express, will be donated to a bona fide established nonprofit in Mexico benefiting orphan children. Each party regrets that this incident occurred.

We thank President Donald J. Trump, Michigan Congressman Tom Barrett and Special Presidential Envoy Adam Boehler for their efforts to mediate this dispute.”