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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. 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. 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. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. OK--we didn't get out--OK? As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. You know the school we went to?" "They didn't teach anything about this. 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. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. "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." Christopher Gardner Even though all the lights were out, she told police that she knew it was Matthew "because the moonlight shined into the room through the large windows that faced the ocean." 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. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. 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. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. "We made it very clear to Jeff and everybody else concerned," Tim says, "that I'm not going to stick my neck on the line here. "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." "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. 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. He chose the building's peachy-pink paint job, he says, because he wanted "a pleasant, welcoming earth tone." Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. When he was jailed, the desperate cop wrote a 15-page handwritten letter in pencil to George Bumb in May 1997 asking the Flea Market owner to bail him out. Most of George Bumb Sr.'s five dozen grandchildren have grown up in the 95127 ZIP code and have attended the family-run K-12 Catholic school, St. Thomas More, located on Flea Market grounds since 1978. Deputy chief Tom Wheatley says that police wondered if Venzon, or someone, destroyed the barrel to prevent a ballistics test from tracing a fired bullet to the gun. 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. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. Other allegations were more dubious: Investigators chased after a tip that the Bumbs were skimming cash from the Flea Market parking lot, an accusation that was never proven. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. Christopher Gardner 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. You think this didn't break my heart?" "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." Christopher Gardner "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. When Vice President Al Gore called to personally invite the elder Bumb to a fundraiser at the Los Altos home of real estate magnate George Marcus, Bumb put the VP on hold for several minutes, ultimately making Betsy take the call. You know the school we went to?" Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. Originally he was scheduled for questioning on March 10, 1997, but the old man's lawyers explained that their client was extremely ill, suffering from "severe life-threatening conditions," practically on his death bed. "We made it very clear to Jeff and everybody else concerned," Tim says, "that I'm not going to stick my neck on the line here. 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. 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. 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. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. "I liked my name," he maintains. 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. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." Christopher Gardner She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. "They didn't teach anything about this. 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. Eight days after the molestation incident was reported to police--and one day after Jeff Bumb formally refused his father's $6.9 million buyout offer--George Bumb Sr. sent Jeff a curt typewritten memo informing Jeff that he was terminated effective immediately and had to clean out his desk before 5pm. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. 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. 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. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. In February 1994, nearly one year after the San Jose City Council gave Bay 101 its blessing, the state denied the Bumbs and their partners' gaming license application. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." 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. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Tim Bumb says writing a letter on Jeff's behalf would have violated the agreement with the police chief and put the club in jeopardy. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. 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. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. But there was no gambling done that night. But there was no gambling done that night. But Jeff Bumb hasn't made a penny from the club since it opened in September 1994. Tim Bumb says writing a letter on Jeff's behalf would have violated the agreement with the police chief and put the club in jeopardy. 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. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. There were flowers everywhere. 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. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. But Jeff Bumb hasn't made a penny from the club since it opened in September 1994. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. 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. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. 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. "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." In February 1994, nearly one year after the San Jose City Council gave Bay 101 its blessing, the state denied the Bumbs and their partners' gaming license application. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. 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. One of George Bumb Sr.'s granddaughters explained to police that her family was very old-fashioned: "The woman gets the short end of the deal; she is a whore. 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. Seven of George Bumb Sr.'s eight grown children reside in the eastside foothills within a mile or two of their father, often on the same block. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Werner said no. Eight days after the molestation incident was reported to police--and one day after Jeff Bumb formally refused his father's $6.9 million buyout offer--George Bumb Sr. sent Jeff a curt typewritten memo informing Jeff that he was terminated effective immediately and had to clean out his desk before 5pm. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. 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 family patriarch and Flea Market mastermind George Bumb Sr. was invited to attend a party with President Clinton in San Francisco a couple of years ago, he refused to go and sent his community relations specialist, Betsy Bryant, instead. 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 disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Still Standing: Jeff Bumb, Bay 101's ostracized founder, boasts that despite various local, state and federal investigations over the years he has emerged squeaky clean. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. You think this didn't break my heart?" When the Vatican eliminated Latin from the Catholic mass in the '60s, George Bumb Sr. responded by building his own chapel, named for the rebellious St. Athanasius, at the base of Mt. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. Other allegations were more dubious: Investigators chased after a tip that the Bumbs were skimming cash from the Flea Market parking lot, an accusation that was never proven. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. OK--we didn't get out--OK? It wasn't the idea of gambling. You know the school we went to?" OK--we didn't get out--OK? It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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 as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. `He drives by every day on his way to his Maverick Consulting development business in Mountain View, but he never gets off the Brokaw/First Street exit to pay a visit. 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. As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. "What am I going to say to the vice president?" Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. "We made it very clear to Jeff and everybody else concerned," Tim says, "that I'm not going to stick my neck on the line here. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk about this. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Tim and George Jr. worried that pressuring state and city officials to deal Jeff back in at Bay 101 would backfire and authorities would close down the card room. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. During the Venzon investigation, San Jose police dug up an old file from November 1990 in which Venzon, a sheriff's deputy, had reported his department-issued Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic stolen.