He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. 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. 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. 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. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. 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. 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" I'm on the hook for $15 million. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." It's like we had no life except for the family." "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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 fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. In the last five years, the Bumb family and its enterprises have been investigated for illegal political campaign contributions, an alleged profit-skimming racket out at the Berryessa Flea Market and even a murder-for-hire scheme involving Johnny Venzon, a former cop, convicted thief and gambling addict. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. 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. 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." There were flowers everywhere. They recorded the conversation. 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. 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. 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. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. And for nearly a month, they did. But there was no gambling done that night. It wasn't the idea of gambling. Just so everyone got the point, Jeff Bumb announced to the press that he and Brian were divesting from Bay 101, and records show he eventually sold his shares for $1.4 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. Bay 101 was Jeff's idea--no one disputes that. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. And for nearly a month, they did. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. Popularly known as the Lawyer of United States of America. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. 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. 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." So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. 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. I'm on the hook for $15 million. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. 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. 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. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. 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. 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. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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." 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. Christopher Gardner Well, guess what? `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. 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." Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. 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. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. 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. The day before, Monday at noon, half of the club's tables were full of gamblers playing seven card stud, Omaha and Texas Hold 'Em. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk 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. "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. About 20 percent of the 130 students there are Bumb relatives.) "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. "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. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. 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." She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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." Christopher Gardner Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. Christopher Gardner But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk about this. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) But he didn't cash out. "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." You know the school we went to?" He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. "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. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. 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. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. OK--we didn't get out--OK? He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. 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. "I'm a big boy." 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. "He took care of it." 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. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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." His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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. It did the unthinkable: EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. 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. He can't ignore it. Over the past year alone, Bumb & Associates and Bay 101 have given $56,000 to now-Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the man in charge of card-room regulation. You know the school we went to?" 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. 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. Ultimately, Jeff says with resignation, he hopes I find the truth, "not my truth, not their truth, just the truth." He and his brothers had a plan, he says. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. 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. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. 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. Christopher Gardner 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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. 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. 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 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. On weekends he'd bring his wife and a few of his 10 kids down there, too. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. 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. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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 demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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. 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. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. But there was no gambling done that night. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." And for nearly a month, they did. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. "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." 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. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. Or at least he thought he didn't. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. Christopher Gardner EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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