Conflicting Views on Letterman Suspect

The man accused of hatching a plot to kidnap David Letterman's infant son and nanny is either the victim of a "personal vendetta" or a "very scary" man--depending on whom you ask.

Kelly A. Frank, 43, was arrested last Sunday after an acquaintance tipped off local police in Montana about an alleged scheme to abduct 16-month-old Harry Joseph Letterman and take along the boy's au pair to care for him while the two were held for $5 million ransom.

On Thursday, Frank, a handyman who had been doing some painting work at Letterman's sprawling Rocky Mountain retreat in Choteau, was charged with felony solicitation, felony theft (for allegedly overcharging Letterman for the painting) and misdemeanor obstruction for allegedly lying to detectives investigating the plot. He is currently being held on $600,000 bail. A hearing has been set for Tuesday.

Following his arraignment, Frank's fiancée, Laurie Johnson, stood by her man, claiming her hubby-to-be was actually the victim of a set-up by former friend, Robert Gondeiro, who, she claims, was angry after the two had a falling out.

"He has always had great respect for Letterman," Johnson, 40, told the New York Daily News. "He felt privileged to be able to go up there and work for him."

Frank was a full-time painter at Letterman's 2,700-acre hideaway from 2000 until 2003. He was hired back early this year. Gondeiro, a former National Guardsman and Gulf War veteran who has known Frank since he was 10, also was employed at the ranch.

According to Johnson, Gondeiro distorted an off-the-cuff joke Frank made about Letterman tightening security at the ranch to get his pal into trouble after the two got into a fight at work.

Gondeiro apparently tipped off Teton County authorities that Frank had attempted to recruit him in a Charles Lindbergh-like conspiracy to steal the late-night host's baby once Letterman and girlfriend Regina Lasko returned.

The FBI obtained a search warrant for Frank's home last Friday.

"They were looking for any documents to show he was writing a ransom note," Johnson told the Daily News. "They took computers, discs, bills, anything that might link him to Letterman. They took all his bank statements and all my bank statements, too. The impression I was getting by the comments they were making was they [believe] he's already guilty."

Frank's father, Robert, is also quoted in the Daily News, saying "I don't think there's anything to [the accusations]. It's all bulls---."

But during a news conference Friday, authorities outlined Frank's criminal history to suggest he was capable of orchestrating the Letterman kidnapping.

In 1997, Frank's ex-girlfriend accused him of stalking and harassment her and her family despite having a restraining order against him. She also claimed he kidnapped and raped her after she broke off their two-year relationship.

The woman, who doesn't reside in Montana anymore and asked that her name not be used, told the Daily News that news of the Letterman plot was no surprise to her.

"This is a very, very scary man," she said. "He was very jealous and obsessive. It was terrifying because there was no place to turn."

Frank, who has been divorced twice, pleaded guilty in 1999 to lesser charges of stalking and intimidation. He served six months in jail, received a 10-year suspended sentence and was placed on probation.

A hearing is pending on whether to have Frank's probation revoked in light of the purported Letterman plot.

Frank's lawyer, James Hunt, could not be reached for comment Monday.

Letterman, meanwhile, released a brief statement last week thanking local police and the FBI for thwarting the alleged ransom scheme.