Michigan Republican Rep. Tom Barrett is traveling to Mexico to visit a Michigan couple jailed because of a dispute with a resort company over timeshare payments. 

Barrett posted on X Wednesday morning that he plans to call for the release of Paul and Christy Akeo, of Spring Arbor, Michigan, citing the couple's "deteriorating physical condition."

"This morning I departed for Mexico to insist on visiting Paul and Christy Akeo in prison and to demand their release after learning yesterday of their deteriorating physical condition. 

I have been in regular contact with their family since I was made aware of their detention and I promised to do everything I could to secure their release and repatriation to America. 

Enough is enough, after spending nearly a month in a maximum security Mexican prison over what amounts to a contract dispute on a time-share it's long overdue for the Mexican authorities to release Paul and Christy."

The Akeos were arrested on March 4, shortly after landing in Cancun, with Mexican authorities telling the couple they faced criminal fraud charges. The couple had a membership with Palace Resorts, a Florida-based company that owns resorts and properties in Mexico. 

In a statement, Palace Resorts says, "Between 2016 and 2021, the Akeos knowingly and willingly entered into 19 separate membership agreements with Palace Elite, investing over $1.4 million USD in exchange for exclusive benefits and rates intended strictly for personal use."

The company says the couple was found to be in "material breach" of the agreements in 2021 and accuses the Akeos of promoting and profiting from their benefits on social media. 

Palace Resorts claims the Akeos disputed membership charges with their credit card companies and received more than $100,000 in reversed fees.

In social media posts shared with CBS News Detroit, Palace Resorts alleges that the couple bragged about receiving the reversed feeds and encouraged others to follow suit. Lawyers for the company sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing the Akeos of providing "specific instructions to current palace elite members on how to purportedly 'terminate' their respective membership agreement using illegal and fraudulent means."

Palace Resorts filed a criminal complaint against the couple in August 2023. 

The couple's attorney, John Manly, says the decision to pursue criminal charges against the Akeos is overblown.

"This is just a bunch of lies, and I think what the documents illustrate is this is a civil dispute," Manly said. "We don't put people in prison in this country or in Mexico for breach of contract. This is a timeshare, not a crime share," said Manly.

Manly says Palace Resorts offered the Akeos a settlement if the Akeos paid $250,000, signed a non-disclosure agreement, helped take down the Facebook group and publicly apologized, but the couple has declined, calling it extortion.