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According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. OK--we didn't get out--OK? "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." "My issue with [George Bumb Sr.]," Jeff Bumb complains about his father, "was his control of where you lived, what kind of house you bought, where your children went to school, who your friends are, whether your children went to college, who they would marry, what kind of wedding they would have." He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Jeff was also getting word from his nieces and nephews that his father said at a family poker game: "If it was up to him, all the grandchildren would marry each other." (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) He and his brothers had a plan, he says. In her 10 years as the Flea Market's community relations specialist, Bryant has come to adore the lack of pretension among this clan of millionaires who have their offices in a mobile home where none of the furniture seems to match. It wasn't the money, either. ON AUG. 11, 1995, Jeff sat in his Flea Market office scribbling on a piece of paper, plotting his grand return to his peach palace. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. "They didn't teach anything about this. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. Christopher Gardner Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. But Jeff and his family started hearing that instead of showing concern and support for his daughter, George Bumb Sr. and others in the family were blaming his freshman daughter for the incident and not her adult-age cousin. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. OK--we didn't get out--OK? She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. THINGS WERE certainly simpler back in the old days, before Bay 101, when the Bumbs were known for the Berryessa Flea Market, the family-owned business started in 1960 by 75-year-old family patriarch George Bumb Sr. At one point in the investigation, sheriff's detectives had Jeff's daughter call Matthew while he was working at the Flea Market to confirm the sexual activities. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." ON AUG. 11, 1995, Jeff sat in his Flea Market office scribbling on a piece of paper, plotting his grand return to his peach palace. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Police reports would suggest she had, "for about a year," been giving "blow jobs" to 19-year-old Matthew Bumb, son of George Bumb Jr. For all his quirks and controlling behavior, the old man is regarded as a benefactor by most family members and some Flea Market employees who know their boss to be capable of great generosity. The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. Werner said no. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. George Bumb Sr.'s loan-repayment demands came in July 1996, just as his oldest son and his wife were about to move to Los Gatos and break away from the family and its eastside enclave. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. Split Personality: The Bumb family made millions off of the San Jose Flea Market (below), started by George Bumb Sr. in 1960, and bolstered its financial fortunes with the opening of Bay 101 in 1994, a project started by now-outcast son Jeff Bumb. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. OK--we didn't get out--OK? It's like we had no life except for the family." When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." "My issue with [George Bumb Sr.]," Jeff Bumb complains about his father, "was his control of where you lived, what kind of house you bought, where your children went to school, who your friends are, whether your children went to college, who they would marry, what kind of wedding they would have." Werner said no. Don't Shoot: George Bumb Sr., the publicity-shy patriarch of the Bumb family and creator of the Flea Market, in a rare photo which appeared in California Today magazine in 1980. And for nearly a month, they did. The investigation was given a shot in the arm after the arrest of Johnny Venzon in 1997, a cop who made headlines for burglarizing homes while on duty to pay for his mounting gambling debts. But Jeff and his family started hearing that instead of showing concern and support for his daughter, George Bumb Sr. and others in the family were blaming his freshman daughter for the incident and not her adult-age cousin. Tim and George, under pressure from then Police Chief Lou Cobarruviaz, had already signed an agreement a year earlier that prohibited Brian, Jeff and their father from having anything to do with the card room. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. [1] Some improprieties did turn up: Bumb & Associates, a partnership including the four brothers and their father, had failed to file required reports disclosing more than $100,000 in political contributions made between 1989 and 1992. Or at least he thought he didn't. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Bumb family attorney Ron Werner suggested that Jeff and his family had a hidden motive for waiting nearly a month to report the incident to police. Police reports would suggest she had, "for about a year," been giving "blow jobs" to 19-year-old Matthew Bumb, son of George Bumb Jr. You think this didn't break my heart?" Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. Campaign records show that Bumb & Associates and Bay 101 have made at least $587,000 in campaign donations since 1994 to local and state politicians and ballot measures. It's like we had no life except for the family." But Jeff and his family started hearing that instead of showing concern and support for his daughter, George Bumb Sr. and others in the family were blaming his freshman daughter for the incident and not her adult-age cousin. A FEW DAYS AFTER returning from his son's Oct. 13, 1995, military graduation in San Diego, Jeff and his wife, Elizabeth, got some appalling news: Their 14-year-old daughter had been involved in a sexual relationship with an older male cousin. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. Snow White or Cinderella? Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. It wasn't the idea of gambling. Jeff Bumb says he believes that state and local investigators at the time of Bay 101's limbo were investigating a rumor that Jeff had tried to get someone killed, a charge Jeff denies. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. I'm on the hook for $15 million. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. But Jeff says that privately he and his brothers had an oral agreement--which Tim Bumb now corroborates--that would one day let him repurchase his shares and become a partner in Bay 101 again. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. You know the school we went to?" First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. "I'm a big boy." Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Snow White or Cinderella? Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. He wanted to relocate and expand Sutter's Place in Alviso from a five-table card room to a 40-table one, matching the size of Northern California's largest card room, Garden City in San Jose. "He took care of it." In a statement to police, Jeff's daughter recounted how the first incident had happened the year before on the Fourth of July at a family beach house near Santa Cruz when the older boy allegedly started fondling her while she was asleep on the living room couch. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. Or at least he thought he didn't. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. Christopher Gardner And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. Tim and George, under pressure from then Police Chief Lou Cobarruviaz, had already signed an agreement a year earlier that prohibited Brian, Jeff and their father from having anything to do with the card room. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. It wasn't the money, either. Christopher Gardner In fact, on the day he was arrested, records show that Venzon pawned a 14-karat-gold diamond cluster ring and a ladies' gold tennis bracelet for a total of $298 at American Precious Metals, a jewelry store at the Flea Market run by Joseph Bumb. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. he asked. "They didn't teach anything about this. "And when I visited you at your home I told you that other than God you are the only person I've gotten down on my knees for," Venzon says on page 7. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. OK--we didn't get out--OK? Life of Brian: Initially denied a gaming license by the state, Brian Bumb has since received a provisional license and become a partner in Bay 101 with his brothers, Tim and George. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. Earlier this year, a month before Venzon was sentenced to 14 years in prison, district attorney investigator Michael Schembri closed out the Venzon case, noting in a court filing, "No new information has been uncovered relating to the murder for hire case [at the Flea Market] which our department investigated several years ago." George Bumb Sr.'s loan-repayment demands came in July 1996, just as his oldest son and his wife were about to move to Los Gatos and break away from the family and its eastside enclave. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. For all his quirks and controlling behavior, the old man is regarded as a benefactor by most family members and some Flea Market employees who know their boss to be capable of great generosity. You know the school we went to?" Tim and George, under pressure from then Police Chief Lou Cobarruviaz, had already signed an agreement a year earlier that prohibited Brian, Jeff and their father from having anything to do with the card room. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Snow White or Cinderella? "He worked for me." (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. According to Werner, molestation of his daughter became part of a laundry list of damning things Jeff threatened to disclose if his buy-out demands weren't met. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. George Bumb Sr.'s loan-repayment demands came in July 1996, just as his oldest son and his wife were about to move to Los Gatos and break away from the family and its eastside enclave. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. Tim and George, under pressure from then Police Chief Lou Cobarruviaz, had already signed an agreement a year earlier that prohibited Brian, Jeff and their father from having anything to do with the card room. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. "My issue with [George Bumb Sr.]," Jeff Bumb complains about his father, "was his control of where you lived, what kind of house you bought, where your children went to school, who your friends are, whether your children went to college, who they would marry, what kind of wedding they would have." Jeff was also getting word from his nieces and nephews that his father said at a family poker game: "If it was up to him, all the grandchildren would marry each other." He asked longtime family attorney Ron Werner if his brothers could write a recommendation letter for him, something state officials had told him he would need to be considered eligible for a gaming license. A FEW DAYS AFTER returning from his son's Oct. 13, 1995, military graduation in San Diego, Jeff and his wife, Elizabeth, got some appalling news: Their 14-year-old daughter had been involved in a sexual relationship with an older male cousin. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Ultimately, Jeff says with resignation, he hopes I find the truth, "not my truth, not their truth, just the truth." Police reports would suggest she had, "for about a year," been giving "blow jobs" to 19-year-old Matthew Bumb, son of George Bumb Jr. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Sources. I'm on the hook for $15 million. But Jeff and his family started hearing that instead of showing concern and support for his daughter, George Bumb Sr. and others in the family were blaming his freshman daughter for the incident and not her adult-age cousin. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. Unlike other partners, neither Jeff nor Brian had buyback provisions in their written agreements, an intentional omission meant to appease state gaming officials who wanted them out of the picture. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Christopher Gardner It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. Jeff was also getting word from his nieces and nephews that his father said at a family poker game: "If it was up to him, all the grandchildren would marry each other." The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. The only reason we are driving around in his Lexus today is because he knows I have read the bizarre and bitter contents of a 2-foot-high stack of documents down at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. In fact, on the day he was arrested, records show that Venzon pawned a 14-karat-gold diamond cluster ring and a ladies' gold tennis bracelet for a total of $298 at American Precious Metals, a jewelry store at the Flea Market run by Joseph Bumb. Werner said no. "He took care of it." (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) "He took care of it." The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. It's like we had no life except for the family." It's like we had no life except for the family." When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Toward the end of the call, things got heated. And for nearly a month, they did. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. It's like we had no life except for the family." Jeff Bumb later explained to the press that they didn't know partnerships were required to file such reports, and they paid the state a $1,250 fine. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. In fact, on the day he was arrested, records show that Venzon pawned a 14-karat-gold diamond cluster ring and a ladies' gold tennis bracelet for a total of $298 at American Precious Metals, a jewelry store at the Flea Market run by Joseph Bumb. Christopher Gardner Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. "He worked for me." Christopher Gardner "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." Don't Shoot: George Bumb Sr., the publicity-shy patriarch of the Bumb family and creator of the Flea Market, in a rare photo which appeared in California Today magazine in 1980. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. But Jeff was confident. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. It's like we had no life except for the family." Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." There were flowers everywhere. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. As legend has it, the Bumbs still send a monthly check to the widow of a former head of security who died of a brain tumor 20 years ago. Though authorities were never able to prove a paid snuff plot, Jeff Bumb believes the allegations were a factor contributing to authorities' mistrust of him. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Bay 101 was Jeff's idea--no one disputes that. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. And then police remembered the old rumors about a murder plot at the Flea Market, where Venzon had worked as a security guard for more than 15 years. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. The gambling palace Jeff Bumb--the oldest son who is often described as the most entrepreneurial of the four brothers--had in mind was going to take a lot of effort and political skill.