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." Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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." They recorded the conversation. Or at least he thought he didn't. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Or at least he thought he didn't. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. It did the unthinkable: "They didn't teach anything about this. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. 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. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. 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." Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. 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. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. 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. 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. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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. Snow White or Cinderella? He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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 himself was hit with a federal grand jury investigation over financial transactions in connection with a multimillion-dollar residential development near Silver Creek Road. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. 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. 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. "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." Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. "He took care of it." And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations 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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. 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. "He worked for me." And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Councilmembers approved the Berryessa BART Urban Village project, a plan to rezone a 61.5-acre portion of the flea market site to include up to . 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." "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." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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 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. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. It's like we had no life except for the family." Werner said no. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. Or at least he thought he didn't. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. 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 for nearly a month, they did. 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. "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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Bay 101 owners buy North San Jose hotel (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. You know the school we went to?" AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Jeff didn't mind, though. But Jeff was confident. "What am I going to say to the vice president?" 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. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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. 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. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Christopher Gardner The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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 there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. It did the unthinkable: The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. 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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. 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 two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. "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." 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. Christopher Gardner 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. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. "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." Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. "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. They recorded the conversation. 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. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. 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. 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. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. You know the school we went to?" And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. But he didn't cash out. Christopher Gardner 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. OK--we didn't get out--OK? But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. 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. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. "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." 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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 pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. 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. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. 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 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. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. 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.