By Ken Wyatt
As the first week of April draws to a close, Paul and Christy Akeo remain in a maximum security prison near Cancun, Mexico. That’s the bad news. There was some good news this week, however. A Michigan congressman showed up at the prison to exert some U.S. pressure aimed at freeing the couple.
That’s the situation in brief. Here’s a review:
The Akeos have been jailed since March 4. They had returned to Mexico, thinking that a timeshare dispute with The Palace Company, aka Palace Resorts, had been resolved. On arrival, they were arrested by Mexican police on charges of credit-card fraud. The “fraud” amounted to their contesting charges of about $116,000, which American Express refunded after its own investigation.
The Akeos’ daughter, Lindsey Hull, posted an urgent appeal on behalf of her parents. She said the Palace Company was demanding $250,000, along with various legal agreements. Meanwhile, the Akeos remain imprisoned.
The Akeos’ situation – jailed on what Americans would regard as a civil, not a criminal charge – has caught the interest of many. Among those who responded soon after Hull’s post was U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett of the 7th congressional district. Last week he promised to see what might be done about the situation.
And Barrett did something. He went to Mexico Wednesday morning and … well, let him report on what happened:
“After landing in Cancun this morning, I traveled directly to the maximum security prison where Paul and Christy Akeo are being held. I met with them personally for an hour and learned of the horrific conditions they are facing — rubbled walls, overcrowded cells, toilets that don’t flush, and disgusting food. This has left them scared, frustrated, and struggling to find hope. I assured them that I am doing everything I can to urgently secure their safe release.
“Following my meeting with Paul and Christy I met with the president of the Quintana Roo Supreme Court to expedite any relief we can provide. Thank you to the U.S. State Department for their assets and support on the ground to end this family’s nightmare, and I hope to have more to share soon.”
As of this writing, there is not yet a resolution of the situation.
Meanwhile, many people have shared experiences with either timeshares in general, or those with The Palace Company and its subsidiaries in particular. Their experiences raise a cautionary flag over dealings with the company. However this case turns out, there are reasons for people to be very cautious when entering into timeshare contracts.
Among those who have taken a close look at their own contracts in light of what happened to the Akeos, some have noted that the words “subject to change” are included. And that seems to be an opening to various unkept promises.
There also are warnings issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation about timeshare scams that have been sweeping the nation in recent years. A year ago, the FBI’s New York office issued warnings that included this paragraph:
“In one common scam, timeshare owners receive unexpected or uninvited telephone calls or emails from criminals posing as sales representatives for a timeshare resale company. The sales representatives often use high-pressure sales tactics to add a sense of urgency to the deal.
“Timeshare owners who agree to sell are told they must pay an upfront fee to cover anything from listing and advertising fees to closing costs. Once the fee is paid, timeshare owners report the company becoming evasive – calls go unanswered, numbers are disconnected, and websites are inaccessible – or the company creates additional – calls go unanswered, numbers are disconnected, and websites are inaccessible – or the company creates additional fees that victims must pay before the real estate transaction becomes final.”
In the Akeos’ case, their lawyer, John Manly, has offered to place $116,000 in an escrow account pending resolution of the case. He adds, “We’ll go to court in the United States. Either Delaware, where Palace Resorts is actually incorporated or Florida, where Palace Resorts is headquartered and where the owners have residences they frequent. Winner gets the money. Seems very fair to me, especially if everything they have been putting out into the media has been true.”
Locally, many friends and community neighbors of the Akeos have been watching the case with great interest. Some of the M-60 Grill breakfast diners last week know the couple as regulars at the Wooden Spoon restaurant just off of M-60 east of Spring Arbor.
Here’s a link to a video of them:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2107754943020499
