And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." The dolphin fountain at the front entrance is there because he wanted it there--water and fish are good luck. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Christopher Gardner 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. 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. 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 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." 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. 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." 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. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. 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. Other members of the Bumb family own vendor stalls, work at food carts, and have managerial positions within the flea market. 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 it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Upon questioning by Jeff's lawyer, John Bumb acknowledged that his brother George Bumb Sr. threw a fit at three of his children's weddings because they played rock & roll. 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. And for nearly a month, they did. Jeff Bumb says he believes that state and local investigators at the time of Bay 101's limbo were investigating a rumor that Jeff had tried to get someone killed, a charge Jeff denies. According to 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. 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's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. 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. 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 followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. 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. (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. "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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." Jeff didn't mind, though. It did the unthinkable: And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. 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. 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. 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. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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 card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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 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. Werner said no. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. 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. 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." When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. 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. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. Well, guess what? Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. 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. Their pun-afflicted surname adds to the hillbilly mystique. 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. But Jeff was confident. And for nearly a month, they did. 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. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. 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. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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. 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. "He worked for me." "He worked for me." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. Braunstein Gives Back Bumb Money | San Jose Inside "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. About 20 percent of the 130 students there are Bumb relatives.) Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Ultimately, Jeff says with resignation, he hopes I find the truth, "not my truth, not their truth, just the truth." "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. 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. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. They recorded the conversation. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. "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." And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. She earns more than enough thanks to her endorsements, modeling activity, and appearing in advertisements. You know the school we went to?" Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. 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. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. 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. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Or at least he thought he didn't. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. It wasn't the money, either. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. That promised to be a hard sell to the San Jose City Council, which would have to authorize both the new site and the expansion. 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. The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. "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." 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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 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. "He worked for me." "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. 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." Christopher Gardner VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. 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. 7 of America's Richest Families Live in the Bay Area The Bold Italic "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. They recorded the conversation. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. 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. 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. On weekends he'd bring his wife and a few of his 10 kids down there, too. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. 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. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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." They recorded the conversation. Christopher Gardner During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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. 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. 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. News - Market Park San Jose 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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. Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. They recorded the conversation. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. 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. 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. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. 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. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. 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." She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. 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 that ain't happening because I can't afford it." Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke.
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