SANTA ANA, California (AP) - A grand jury has indicted a man on charges he strangled his ex-wife and tossed her off a cruise ship in Italy.

The Orange County Register says 55-year-old Lonnie Kocontes, of Florida, didn't enter a plea at his arraignment on Monday. He was indicted on Friday on a charge of murder for financial gain.

He will try to have the case dismissed at a June 26 hearing, arguing that local authorities lack jurisdiction to prosecute.

Kocontes and 52-year-old Micki Kanesaki were divorced but had lived together on and off in Mission Viejo. They were sharing a cabin on a 2006 cruise when she went overboard. Her body later washed ashore.

An investigation began after Kocontes began taking money from his ex-wife's accounts. He was arrested earlier this year.