Us Tourists Held In 'maximum-security' Mexico Prison Accused Of Defrauding Hotel Company

FBI issues tips for travelers going abroad for spring break

The FBI's Los Angeles field office issued tips to Americans traveling abroad for spring break, urging travelers to stay safe.

• A Michigan couple vacationing in Mexico was arrested and accused of defrauding a timeshare company.
• Paul and Christy Akeo claim they disputed charges with their credit card company over undelivered services.
• The timeshare company alleges the couple fraudulently disputed charges and encouraged others to do so online.

A Michigan couple was arrested in Mexico for allegedly defrauding a hospitality company, but their family said they were wrongfully charged.

Paul and Christy Akeo were imprisoned in Cancun, Mexico, on March 4, the family’s attorney John Manly told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. The couple was traveling for vacation at the time of their arrest.

The arrest stems from a dispute with timeshare company, The Palace Company. The Akeos allegedly signed a contract to buy a membership in 2021 and submitted a credit card for their monthly payments. The company, however, was notified the following year that Paul canceled nearly $117,000 in credit card transactions, prosecutors in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo said in a March 15 news release.

Christy allegedly “spread the word on Facebook about how they committed the fraud against the hotel chain,” the translated statement continued (the couple was en route to a different resort when they were arrested, per their lawyer, Manly).

Manly said the fraud allegation against the couple is “utterly false,” and that they had simply disputed the charges with American Express, which reviewed them and issued refunds, after Palace failed “to deliver services," including canceling weeks they had booked without notice. The couple tried more than a dozen times to resolve the issues with Palace before disputing the charges.

American Express did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

The couple criticized the company on Facebook “and alerted others who felt wronged by Palace,” according to Manly. He accused Palace of demanding $250,000 dollars and that the couple sign a non-disclosure agreement, among other stipulations, in exchange for their release.

Manly said the Akeos are being held in a "maximum-security prison," and that they had been “denied proper food and medical care” or adequate visitation with their Mexican lawyers.

A Palace Company spokesperson told CNN that the couple “fraudulently disputed legitimate credit card charges and publicly encouraged others to do the same,” and that the company filed a complaint with authorities in Mexico. The hospitality company and the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment.

The U.S. State Department said it is aware of reports of two Americans being detained in Mexico. “We take our commitment to assist U.S. citizens abroad seriously,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement but had no further comment, citing privacy concerns.

Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., said Monday in a post on X that he had been made aware of his constituents’ arrests.

“I have spoken to their family and assured them that my team and I took immediate action and are doing everything we can to help,” he wrote. “I have been in contact and will continue working with the White House, State Department, and law enforcement partners in Michigan to ensure this situation is resolved as urgently and safely as possible.”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.