BLOOMINGTON - The wife of former Bloomington police Sgt. Jeff Pelo has vigorously defended the convicted rapist on national television.

Rickielee Pelo told ABC News' "20/20" that her husband is innocent and was wrongly convicted of raping two women. Jeff Pelo was sentenced in August to 440 years in prison after he was convicted of raping the women and stalking a fifth, all between 2002 and 2006.

The program on Friday showed video of a nervous Pelo denying he was involved in the rapes as he was under interrogation by his co-workers.

His wife says her husband never gave her "any reason not to believe him."

Pelo is serving his sentence at the Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. He plans to appeal his conviction.