MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) – An unhappy husband in an arranged marriage tried to hire a hit man to kill his wife by stabbing her through the heart by Christmas so he could collect on her insurance policy and mourn her before the holiday, prosecutors said.

Santhosh Paul was arraigned Wednesday on a second-degree conspiracy charge after making several attempts over the last month to hire someone to kill the mother of his young son right away, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

“He wanted to be able to mourn her before the holidays,” Rice said.

Earlier this month, Paul, 31, tried to hire a friend to do the killing, but the friend refused and secretly called police.

, who arranged a meeting in a Long Island restaurant parking lot between Paul and an undercover detective posing as a hit man, Rice said.

Paul took his 3-year-old son to the meeting, at which he said he wanted his wife dead “before the holidays” and promised the undercover detective $200,000, prosecutors said. He paid a $2,700 deposit and provided a copy of his wife’s $1 million life insurance policy as proof he would be able to pay after her killing, they said.

Paul, of North Bellmore, also gave the detective a photo of his wife, a business card with her address, her license plate numbers and her schedule and told him to stab his wife through the heart, prosecutors said.

Paul’s attorney, Peter Brill, said his client “maintains his innocence” and had the support of his wife.

“His wife stands behind him, which should tell you something,” Brill said. “It doesn’t tell you that she’s an idiot, if that’s what people are thinking. She doesn’t believe this is possible.”

Prosecutors, however, said Paul’s wife found out about the details of the hit man plot only after she showed up in court. They said she was so in the dark about his scheme that when he was arrested Tuesday and didn’t come home she asked police to look for him.

The wife, Tina Paul, 30, bowed her head in the courthouse Wednesday, covered her face with her hands and wouldn’t talk to reporters.

Santhosh Paul, who was ordered held without bail, could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Paul’s mother said she hadn’t seen any troubles in the marriage, which was arranged in India six years ago. A neighbor outside the couple’s home, which had a festive wreath on the front door, said the Pauls were nice people.

AP-ES-12-20-06 2325EST