San Diego police arrested Steven Robert Liss, 53, on Friday afternoon, San Diego Police Department spokeswoman Monica Munoz said.

Liss' wife, Karen, contacted police on July 2, saying she feared her husband intended to do her harm, Munoz said.

"The investigation revealed that on multiple occasions over the past several months, Liss sought the help of others to have his wife murdered," she alleged.

The spokeswoman declined to release further details about Liss' alleged attempts to hire a killer, citing the ongoing investigation. There have been no other arrests, she said.

Liss was booked into county jail on suspicion of four counts of solicitation of murder and allegations of spousal abuse and false imprisonment.

He was being held in lieu of $1,060,000 bail pending arraignment Tuesday afternoon.