"Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. It did the unthinkable: 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 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." 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. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. 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. "It's a very strong family. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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. You know the school we went to?" Toward the end of the call, things got heated. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. "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." "He took care of it." "They didn't teach anything about this. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. Christopher Gardner 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. Some Interesting & Unknown Facts About Aditi Bumb Aditi Bumb is a Pet Lover. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. They recorded the conversation. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. You think this didn't break my heart?" But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." 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. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. "What am I going to say to the vice president?" 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. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" `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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Christopher Gardner 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. 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. 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 followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Christopher Gardner Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. Well, guess what? The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. 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. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. "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." OK--we didn't get out--OK? He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. 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. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" It's like we had no life except for the family." And that ain't happening because I can't afford 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. "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 took care of it." VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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." de Young founded newspapers, including The Chronicle, back in the 1880s. Christopher Gardner 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. 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." The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. "They didn't teach anything about this. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." "What am I going to say to the vice president?" 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. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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. 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. 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. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. In her 10 years as the Flea Market's community relations specialist, Bryant has come to adore the lack of pretension among this clan of millionaires who have their offices in a mobile home where none of the furniture seems to match. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. 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 started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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. "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." Werner said no. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. 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. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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. 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. During the Venzon investigation, San Jose police dug up an old file from November 1990 in which Venzon, a sheriff's deputy, had reported his department-issued Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic stolen. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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. "I'm a big boy." "He took care of it." 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. Werner said no. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. 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. During the Venzon investigation, San Jose police dug up an old file from November 1990 in which Venzon, a sheriff's deputy, had reported his department-issued Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic stolen. It's like we had no life except for the family." "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. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. During the Venzon investigation, San Jose police dug up an old file from November 1990 in which Venzon, a sheriff's deputy, had reported his department-issued Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic stolen. 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. You know the school we went to?" AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. And for nearly a month, they did. You know the school we went to?" He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. It's like we had no life except for the family." "He worked for me." Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. 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. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. 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. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. "He worked for me." 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. "He worked for me." 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. It's like we had no life except for the family." Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. Some improprieties did turn up: Bumb & Associates, a partnership including the four brothers and their father, had failed to file required reports disclosing more than $100,000 in political contributions made between 1989 and 1992. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. "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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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." 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. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. They recorded the conversation. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Well, guess what? Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. And for nearly a month, they did. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. "He worked for me." The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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. October, 2020 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. There were flowers everywhere. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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. But he didn't cash out. "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. 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. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. But Jeff was confident. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her."