A man convicted of attempted murderer is suing the wife of a former cellmate who he accuses of stealing nearly $8,000 from him.

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Mark E. Collier is appealing the attempted murder conviction of his ex-wife and the 25-year sentence he received, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports.

Divorced in 2004, Collier's ex-wife wrote him a divorce settlement check for $11,156.66 but Collier was in jail, had no family in the area and couldn't cash it.

In stepped cellmate Timothy J. Bertoia, serving time for forcing two youngsters to have sex with him, each other and a dog. Bertoia said his wife, Grace, would assume Collier's power of attorney and put the money in a bank account and his jail commissary.

He got $1,000 in the jail account, $100 worth of clothing and a $2,400 check in February but nothing else, Collier claims.

So he's suing Grace Bertoia for $23,247.15 -- that's three times the amount he claims she stole -- along with court and attorney costs.

The same Steuben County Superior Court judge who heard Collier's attempted murder trial will preside over the suit.