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Christopher Gardner FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. One wag refers to them as "the Beverly Hillbillies of San Jose." He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. "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." AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. They recorded the conversation. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. "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." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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." His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. 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." Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. If all this weren't enough, a sexual relationship between his 14-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old Bumb cousin was reported to police, slicing the family's cherished privacy wide open for the world to see. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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. 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. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. "He took care of it." In response to Jeff's legal attacks, George Bumb Sr. and Bumb & Associates filed two separate suits of their own to collect nearly $1 million in loans and interest they claimed Jeff never paid. The Flea Market has a rich history that began in 1960, when George Bumb, Sr., the patriarch of the family, opened it with only 20 vendors at the time. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. 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. 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. Christopher Gardner In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) You know the school we went to?" Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. The dolphin fountain at the front entrance is there because he wanted it there--water and fish are good luck. It's like we had no life except for the family." There were flowers everywhere. 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. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. 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. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. 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. Snow White or Cinderella? On March 17, 1993, the City Council gave Bumb and his partners the green light to open a 40-table card room on a 10-acre plot of land off U.S 101. Snow White or Cinderella? 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. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. It's like we had no life except for the family." A nurse was present to monitor his condition. 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. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. 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." Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Well, guess what? Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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. But the Bumbs are hardly traditional political players. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. 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. 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. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. Or at least he thought he didn't. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. In response to Jeff's legal attacks, George Bumb Sr. and Bumb & Associates filed two separate suits of their own to collect nearly $1 million in loans and interest they claimed Jeff never paid. Well, guess what? During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. 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. 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. "He worked for me." But Jeff was confident. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. 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. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. 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. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. 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. 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. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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." Werner said no. 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. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." 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. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Well, guess what? (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." One month later, the state attorney general's office made a devastating announcement: Authorities had come across issues of "such magnitude" and "concern" that they would need at least another month to decide if gambling should be allowed at Bay 101. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. One month later, the state attorney general's office made a devastating announcement: Authorities had come across issues of "such magnitude" and "concern" that they would need at least another month to decide if gambling should be allowed at Bay 101. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. You know the school we went to?" A nurse was present to monitor his condition. In response to Jeff's legal attacks, George Bumb Sr. and Bumb & Associates filed two separate suits of their own to collect nearly $1 million in loans and interest they claimed Jeff never paid. We celebrate over 60 years of providing our community with a way to make money selling great stuff; save on a myriad of household items, tools, entertainment, fresh produce and a variety of services; and spend a day together as a family shopping, eating, and playing. 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. "He worked for me." 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. 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. 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." One month later, the state attorney general's office made a devastating announcement: Authorities had come across issues of "such magnitude" and "concern" that they would need at least another month to decide if gambling should be allowed at Bay 101. 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. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. "He worked for me." 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. "I'm a big boy." OK--we didn't get out--OK? On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. But there was no gambling done that night. Christopher Gardner But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. 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. Mike Salinas, Scrappers Racing and The Unrelenting Power of Family "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. No you may not, The Flea Market Inc. owns and operates all prepared food and beverage concessions. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Werner said no. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. 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. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Jeff Bumb remembers that when he was going to school at Bellarmine in the '60s, the other kids would call him things like "Bumbsy" or "Bumbo." Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. 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. 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. On March 17, 1993, the City Council gave Bumb and his partners the green light to open a 40-table card room on a 10-acre plot of land off U.S 101. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual.