It wasn't the idea of gambling. But Jeff was confident. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. 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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk about this. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. "What am I going to say to the vice president?" 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. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. "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. It wasn't the money, either. Jeff Bumb remembers that when he was going to school at Bellarmine in the '60s, the other kids would call him things like "Bumbsy" or "Bumbo." Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. George Bumb Jr. of San Jose Flea Market and Bay 101, dead at 61 The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. "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. 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." Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. It's like we had no life except for the family." The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Jeff didn't mind, though. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. 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. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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." 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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." Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. One wag refers to them as "the Beverly Hillbillies of San Jose." A nurse was present to monitor his condition. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." 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." The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. 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. "It's making a whole lot of money," Bumb says of the club which city financial forecasters have predicted will gross $34.6 million this year, $11.5 million more than its cross-town rival, Garden City. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. They recorded the conversation. "It made you tough, made you get a thick skin." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. It wasn't the money, either. OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. There were flowers everywhere. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. But there was no gambling done that night. "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." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. 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. Snow White or Cinderella? 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." But he didn't cash out. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. The air conditioning is on, but beads of sweat surface on Bumb's forehead, between a pair of fierce-looking blue eyes and a receding blonde hairline. 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." According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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. 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. He chose the building's peachy-pink paint job, he says, because he wanted "a pleasant, welcoming earth tone." 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. 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. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. 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. 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. 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. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. "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." San Jose Flea Market Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. 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. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. 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." 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. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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." When family patriarch and Flea Market mastermind George Bumb Sr. was invited to attend a party with President Clinton in San Francisco a couple of years ago, he refused to go and sent his community relations specialist, Betsy Bryant, instead. 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. "I'm a big boy." A nurse was present to monitor his condition. 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. "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." The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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." Werner said no. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. But Jeff was confident. Christopher Gardner But the Bumbs are hardly traditional political players. 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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. 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. And for nearly a month, they did. 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 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. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. 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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. I'm on the hook for $15 million. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. And for nearly a month, they did. 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.