You think this didn't break my heart?" 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 a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Werner said no. 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. 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 ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations 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. 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. 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. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. 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. 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. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. Deputy chief Tom Wheatley says that police wondered if Venzon, or someone, destroyed the barrel to prevent a ballistics test from tracing a fired bullet to the gun. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. OK--we didn't get out--OK? But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Werner said no. 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. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. The owners, the Bumb family, have also proposed a contribution of up to $500,000 to match donations from residents to help the vendors. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. 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. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. Christopher Gardner Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. 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. You know the school we went to?" Jeff didn't mind, though. 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. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. "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. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. 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. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." 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." 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. It wasn't the money, either. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. Snow White or Cinderella? 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." 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 worked for me." AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. I'm on the hook for $15 million. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. One wag refers to them as "the Beverly Hillbillies of San Jose." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. 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." Toward the end of the call, things got heated. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. "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. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. And for nearly a month, they did. Well, guess what? Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Christopher Gardner Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. OK--we didn't get out--OK? Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. "What am I going to say to the vice president?" AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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." And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. "They didn't teach anything about this. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Snow White or Cinderella? He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Christopher Gardner Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. 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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. 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 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. One wag refers to them as "the Beverly Hillbillies of San Jose." 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, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. "I'm a big boy." And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Well, guess what? When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. Christopher Gardner Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" You know the school we went to?" Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." It's like we had no life except for the family." "He worked for me." "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. "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." 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. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. Their pun-afflicted surname adds to the hillbilly mystique. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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 EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." But there was no gambling done that night. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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. 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. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. It wasn't the money, either. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation 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. Bay 101 was Jeff's idea--no one disputes that. You know the school we went to?" Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. 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. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "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. 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. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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 there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Christopher Gardner And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. "I'm a big boy." 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. 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.
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