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twice the amount he had sought. Kelly was also given his ex-wife's house in Springdale, Arkansas, her hometown. Connie's lavish lifestyle was careening to an abrupt end. Heavily in debt to Kelly, she was about to lose everything, including her cherished Westover Hills house and the priceless heirlooms inside. Then David S. Post entered the picture. An attorney in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Post was already under FBI scrutiny for his part in a massive insurance fraud scheme that included spurious slip-and-fall accidents, car wrecks, and other scams. The FBI was listening in when Connie and Post discussed plans to strip the house of its treasures, then blow it up with explosives to collect the $7 million insurance policy. In November 1991, Connie paid her friend Alex Montez $15,000 to do the deed. Connie again met with Post and Montez in March 1992 to discuss the scheme's potential risks and how to distribute the money. During the meeting, Connie devised a foolproof alibi for the night the house was to be destroyed: She would arrange to have dinner with Benton County Circuit Court Judge Tom Keith, an acquaintance who knew nothing of the plot. The FBI got it all on tape. Meanwhile, Connie had millions of dollars' worth of antique furniture, lighting, and fixtures removed from the Westover Hills house and hidden. Five storage units around Springdale were later discovered full of the stolen goods, but much of the house's contents was still missing, including the antique rock crystal chandeliers and marble mantels. In August 1992, Connie and her co- conspirators were charged with mail fraud in connection with the plot to blow up the mansion. While Connie awaited trial in Arkansas, Kelly continued to search for the missing antiques. Despite a court order requiring her to answer questions about the looted goods, she refused — twice. The Judge found her in contempt and had her thrown in county jail. Connie Young's fraud and conspiracy trial opened on February 18, 1993, in Arkansas federal court. Over two days, jurors heard testimony from her friend Alex Montez, who claimed Connie had backed out of the bomb plot and he simply "conned her out of the $15,000." Montez, who was under subpoena, also alleged Connie had asked him days earlier to alter a date in order to better suit her defense. She was convicted and later sentenced to 24 months in federal prison. The Fallout The news was met by old Fort Worth society with a mix of shock and amusement. "It was just a crazy, totally bizarre story," says a friend, "but it wasn't totally out of character. It's not like she was a sweet little thing — she was strong headed." The Northwest Arkansas Times covered her indictment and trial extensively, but the scandal was hush-hush in Fort Worth; despite the fact that Connie Young was one of its most prominent citizens, I could find no record of her sensational arrest and trial in the Fort Worth Star Telegram archives. The Youngs were — and remain — a well-liked and powerful family in Fort Worth, and Kelly, for one, quickly buried the hatchet. After Connie's release in January 1995, he set her up in an apartment in New York City and bought her houses in Aspen and Dallas. "He continued to take care of her; despite everything that happened, he still really loved her," the friend says. Opposite page: In the kitchen, custom vent hood designed by Carla Fonts, and made by Brent Hull of Hull Millworks. Sherle Wagner fixtures and hardware. Marble counters from Stone Boutique. Custom cabinets in the butler's pantry with Sherle Wagner hardware and fixtures. Marble counters from Stone Boutique. Below: An antique round powder room off the foyer with original pilasters, hand-painted wallpaper, and sink, all salvaged intact from Rose Terrace. Architect Michael Morrison designed the sunburst marble floor pattern. 108