"Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." "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. 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." THINGS WERE certainly simpler back in the old days, before Bay 101, when the Bumbs were known for the Berryessa Flea Market, the family-owned business started in 1960 by 75-year-old family patriarch George Bumb Sr. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. "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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. "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." Or at least he thought he didn't. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. 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. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. 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 did a great job," Bumb says of the sprawling gambling club, furiously chomping on a piece of Wrigley's Doublemint, the gum he chews when he's not sucking on an unfiltered Camel. 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. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 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. Or at least he thought he didn't. 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. 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. Christopher Gardner It's like we had no life except for the family." "He worked for me." Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." Toward the end of the call, things got heated. "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." It's like we had no life except for the family." I'm on the hook for $15 million. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. At one point in the investigation, sheriff's detectives had Jeff's daughter call Matthew while he was working at the Flea Market to confirm the sexual activities. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. 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. They recorded the conversation. Werner said no. 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. 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. 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. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. A blue knit polo shirt covers his stocky 52-year-old frame. 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. 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. 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. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. 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. Or at least he thought he didn't. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "They didn't teach anything about this. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. 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. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. "He took care of it." Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. And for nearly a month, they did. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. It did the unthinkable: Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. 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. Timothy's net worth hovers over $250,000 - $499,999 with a yearly income that's about $150 - 174,999. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. 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. Snow White or Cinderella? The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. "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." 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. 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. 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. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. At one point in the investigation, sheriff's detectives had Jeff's daughter call Matthew while he was working at the Flea Market to confirm the sexual activities. The 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. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." 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. 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 asked. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. Christopher Gardner Well, guess what? 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. 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. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition.
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