Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. 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. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. "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. I'm on the hook for $15 million. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. 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. 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 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. 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? 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. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. 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. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. "I'm a big boy." "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." Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. 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 for nearly a month, they did. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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." "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. 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." Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. "He worked for me." He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. You know the school we went to?" "They didn't teach anything about this. 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." Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. "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." Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. 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. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. 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. Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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. "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. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." They recorded the conversation. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. You think this didn't break my heart?" "I'm a big boy." 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. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. 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. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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." You know the school we went to?" Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. 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 tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. 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. 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 liked my name," he maintains. 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. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Jeff didn't mind, though. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." "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." "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. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Well, guess what? "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. Or at least he thought he didn't. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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. "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." AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. You know the school we went to?" "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." A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. 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 know the school we went to?" "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. It did the unthinkable: He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. 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 started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. OK--we didn't get out--OK? She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. But there was no gambling done that night. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. 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. Christopher Gardner 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. 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." 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. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. 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. 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. 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. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. "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." Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. 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. They recorded the conversation. "What am I going to say to the vice president?" 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. 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. 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. "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 there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. 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. "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. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. "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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. He babysat the construction site every day for almost five months. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." 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. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. 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. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. Well, guess what? But he didn't cash out. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. 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. 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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. Christopher Gardner EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. 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 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. 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 two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. "I'm a big boy." Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. "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. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. I'm on the hook for $15 million. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. But there was no gambling done that night. 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. Even in the tangle of legal briefs and heated accusations, no one denies that Jeff is the one who hunted down a site, negotiated the deal and spent hours on the phone lobbying San Jose City Council members for a big, new gaming house in San Jose. 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. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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." It's like we had no life except for the family." They recorded the conversation. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. He chose the building's peachy-pink paint job, he says, because he wanted "a pleasant, welcoming earth tone." "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" San Jose Flea Market - WikiMili, The Best Wikipedia Reader He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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.