Fears for American couple thrown in Mexican prison over timeshare dispute after family spot worrying detail

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.

Christy and Paul Akeo have been languishing behind bars in a maximum security Cancun prison, accused of defrauding Palace Resorts out of more than $116,000.

They say it is 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, Michigan Representative Tom Barrett traveled to Cancun in an effort to help resolve the matter amid concerns for the American couples' welfare.

He shared a picture of the meeting, in which both Christy and Paul appeared noticably slimmer and gaunt.

'They look so skinny. Let's hope this nightmare ends soon,' one supporter noted, sharing an emoji of a broken heart.

'They look like they have lost weight, compared to the happy photos of them,' another said, adding they were hopeful it is a 'good sign' that Mexican authorities have allowed them to meet with a US politician.

Christy's daughter Lindsey previously revealed she shed 25lbs in prison in just 20 days because authorities continue to offer food they know she is allergic to, and that she has developed a severe rash all over her body. 

'I met with them personally for an hour and learned of the horrific conditions they are facing,' Barrett said. 

Listing the horror conditions, Barrett said: '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.'

Others have called on Barrett to try to push through extraordinary tough measures in an effort to pressure Mexico into releasing the duo.

One person demanded he 'introduce a bill this week to BAN all travel to Mexico until Mexico is willing to release the Akeo family back home and negotiate over reforms.

'BAN all flights from Canada from using U.S. airspace if they are en route Mexico.

'Get leverage on Mexico to get them to reform their corruption and how they victimize American tourists by that corruption.'

Barrett also met with the president of the Quintana Roo Supreme Court.

A judge had earlier ruled the couple must remain in custody in Mexico until the next court date - not set for another six months.

But Barrett hopes 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,' he said.

The Akeo's distressed family have been trying to gain the attention and backing of President Trump as they seek to bring the couple home.

Lindsey and her brother Mike issued a joint statement on Wednesday praising Barrett for going out of his way to offer assistance.

They described his trip to Cancun as a 'courageous' effort to have their parents freed from 'captivity.'

'Through four straight weeks of fear and uncertainty, Representative Barrett’s commitment to bringing our parents home safely provided us with hope and reassurance. 

'He was the first local representative to simply make a phone call to our family and listen to our horrific situation and offer his assistance. 

'His efforts exemplify his commitment to not only our family, but our community as a whole, and we are forever grateful for his support and determination.'

The duo claim they've made an offer to Palace Resorts which has so far been ignored, which would see all of the money the hotel claims the Akeo's owe 'put into an escrow.

'We litigate this case in the US court system. Winner gets the money,' Lindsey explained. 

She said 'not only are they not accepting, but [they're] refusing to acknowledge our offer at all.' 

The couple were immediately detained in Cancún on March 4 after stepping off a plane from Michigan and thrown in maximum security prison.

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.

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.

In posts seen by DailyMail.com purportedly from Christy's social media page, she celebrated that she'd helped 'thousands of members... without negative impacts to their credit.'

'Anyone who is trying to get out of their membership and is hesitant... If you need help, please let me know,' the mom posted.

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 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.

Those stays subsequently began getting suddenly canceled by Palace Resorts because they considered the social media advertisements a breach.

John Manly, the Akeo family attorney, said in a statement the couple 'got lured into this timeshare.'

'Initially it was some reasonable amount a month, and then they, according to what we've been told, they took away their benefits and essentially made them increase their monthly contribution to $6,200 a month.

'But in exchange for that, they were supposed to be able to sell weeks of their timeshare so people could use them, and that interests Palace because they get to sell to more people.

'What began to occur is Palace just began to cancel the reservations. So essentially, they're paying $6,200 a month for which anybody who's middle class or retired is a lot of money, not allowing them to sell their weeks that they have promised and essentially defaulted or breached, rather, the contract.'