An American couple imprisoned in Mexico are on their way back to the United States and thanking President Donald Trump for his work to free them.
Christy and Paul Akeo had been languishing behind bars in a maximum security Cancun prison, accused of defrauding Palace Resorts out of more than $116,000.
In a video exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, the couple, along with Michigan Representative Tom Barrett, are seen on a private plane returning to the United States. They thank President Trump for his help.
A week ago, the president read the news and ‘reached out to his hostage team to resolve immediately,’ a senior White House official told DailyMail.com.
The hostage team, led by Adam Boehler, ‘reached out to the CEO of Palace Resorts who agreed to drop all charges to get them out of jail ASAP,’ the official said.
The couple will land in Michigan later Thursday evening.
Rep. Tom Barrett and Christy and Paul Akeo on the plane flying back to the U.S.
President Donald Trump sent his hostage team to help free the Akeos
The Akeos, who spent a month in prison, said the issue was merely a contract dispute after they clawed back 13 payments they made to the timeshare resort between 2021 and 2022 because they felt their contract had been breached.
On Wednesday, Rep. Barrett traveled to Cancun. He put the Akeos on a plane and sent a thank you video to the president, recording it on the ride home.
‘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 you team and everything you did to help them get loose and get free.’
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‘It’s a great day to be an American. Thank you very much,’ he added.
The Akeos also gave Trump their thanks.
‘Thank you so much President Trump,’ Christy said. ‘We appreciate it more than you even know.’
‘We appreciate everything,’ Paul added.
The couple said in a statement that they came to an agreement with the Palace Company ‘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.’
The statement added: 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.’
Boehler is on the plane with Barrett and the Akeos.
‘No President has ever done more to bring Americans home from around the world than President Trump. To Paul and Christie Akeo — welcome home!’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told DailyMail.com.
‘Sleepy Joe would have let these Americans rot in Mexican prison. President Trump saw their story and immediately took action. What a difference a president can make! Promises made. Promises kept.’
A judge had earlier ruled the couple must remain in custody in Mexico until the next court date, which had not been set for another six months.
A judge ruled Palace Resorts would have six more months to gather evidence against the couple and build their case, ordering the couple to remain behind bars as the case proceeds
The American couple imprisoned in Mexico over a hotel timeshare dispute have been pictured for the first time since they were arrested almost a month ago
The couple were immediately detained in Cancún on March 4 after stepping off a plane from Michigan and thrown in maximum security prison.
The daughter Lindsey insists her parents were within their rights to dispute the credit card transactions after the resort breached the contract they’d signed.
She has accused the resort of setting her parents up and holding them captive as retribution.
But the company hit back, arguing that Interpol certified the arrest warrant after the couple defrauded more than $116,000 – then encouraged other Americans to do the same.
‘Paul and Christy Akeo fraudulently disputed legitimate credit card charges and publicly encouraged others to do the same,’ a company spokesperson told ABC.
The couple were immediately detained in Cancún on March 4 after stepping off a plane from Michigan and thrown in maximum security prison
The messy saga centers around a timeshare investment they first made in 2016 and continued to upgrade 18 times as the years wore on, totaling a $1.409million investment into Palace Resorts
In a separate statement, the company said: ‘They were found to have breached their contract by promoting, for profit and/or commercial purposes, preferential rates and various benefits via social media which consequently led to the withdrawal of supplementary benefits initially included in their contract.’
It went on to suggest the couple may have been ‘disgruntled with the consequences of their actions’, prompting them to first dispute recent charges and stopping future payments entirely.
The messy saga centered around a timeshare investment they first made in 2016 and continued to upgrade 18 times as the years wore on, totaling a $1.409million investment into Palace Hotels.
Christy herself told another hotel goer that she often visited the resort once a month to escape Michigan’s dreary weather, making the most of her $500,000 investment into the venue.
But when they weren’t using the resort, they would advertise their room out on social media channels, primarily Facebook, offering all-inclusive food and drink packages, manicures and massages, as well as the accommodation.
Christy claimed her relationship went south with Palace because she and Paul successfully referred so many members that they’d amassed a huge amount of free week-long stays, which were used as incentives for members to lure in new clients.