So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. "He worked for me." He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. "He took care of it." At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. "He worked for me." FROM THE protected confines of his silver 1998 Lexus SC 400, Jeff Bumb peers out his window to take in the imposing sight of the 72,000-square-foot salmon-hued house of cards he once called his baby. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. 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. Christopher Gardner So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Werner said no. It's like we had no life except for the family." 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. You know the school we went to?" According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. 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. 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. 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. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. But he didn't cash out. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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. 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. 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. You know the school we went to?" And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. 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. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. 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. Nadia Turner Money, Net Worth. And for nearly a month, they did. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." 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. 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, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. 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. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." 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. "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. The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. A FEW DAYS AFTER returning from his son's Oct. 13, 1995, military graduation in San Diego, Jeff and his wife, Elizabeth, got some appalling news: Their 14-year-old daughter had been involved in a sexual relationship with an older male cousin. It's like we had no life except for the family." The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. You know the school we went to?" They recorded the conversation. But he didn't cash out. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. 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." 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 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. 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. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. 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 he didn't cash out. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. 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. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. 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. "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." Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. He babysat the construction site every day for almost five months. A FEW DAYS AFTER returning from his son's Oct. 13, 1995, military graduation in San Diego, Jeff and his wife, Elizabeth, got some appalling news: Their 14-year-old daughter had been involved in a sexual relationship with an older male cousin. 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. "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." And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. They recorded the conversation. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. "He worked for me." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. "He took care of it." It's like we had no life except for the family." Christopher Gardner 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. By Will Harper 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. 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. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. There were flowers everywhere. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. "He worked for me." The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. `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. 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. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. 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." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. 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. 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 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. 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." In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. 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 demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. "They didn't teach anything about this. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. Christopher Gardner 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. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. 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. "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. But he didn't cash out. 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 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. 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. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Christopher Gardner Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. 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. 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. 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." Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Christopher Gardner "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." 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." 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. They recorded the conversation. It wasn't the money, either. 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. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk about this. 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. 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. It did the unthinkable: Ultimately, Jeff says with resignation, he hopes I find the truth, "not my truth, not their truth, just the truth." At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Family Feud During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. Their pun-afflicted surname adds to the hillbilly mystique. 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. They recorded the conversation. 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. "I'm a big boy." "They didn't teach anything about this. 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. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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. 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. "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. 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. 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. 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. Werner said no. 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. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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." And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. 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. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. 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. "He worked for me." After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. 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. 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. A blue knit polo shirt covers his stocky 52-year-old frame. 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. 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. 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 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. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. You think this didn't break my heart?" The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. 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. 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. Werner said no. If all this weren't enough, a sexual relationship between his 14-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old Bumb cousin was reported to police, slicing the family's cherished privacy wide open for the world to see.