She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. 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. 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. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. 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. 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 wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." I'm on the hook for $15 million. 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. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. 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 it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. 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. Christopher Gardner Unlike other partners, neither Jeff nor Brian had buyback provisions in their written agreements, an intentional omission meant to appease state gaming officials who wanted them out of the picture. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. You think this didn't break my heart?" "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. Well, guess what? 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. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. Or at least he thought he didn't. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Myoinositol reduction in medial prefrontal cortex of - Academia.edu Toward the end of the call, things got heated. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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. 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. 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 for nearly a month, they did. Werner said no. 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. 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." "He worked for me." The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" OK--we didn't get out--OK? At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Werner said no. About 20 percent of the 130 students there are Bumb relatives.) 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. 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. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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 started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. 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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. For all his quirks and controlling behavior, the old man is regarded as a benefactor by most family members and some Flea Market employees who know their boss to be capable of great generosity. Well, guess what? Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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. I'm on the hook for $15 million. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. 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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. 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. 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. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. 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. 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. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. 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." But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. 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 couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. Or at least he thought he didn't. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. Christopher Gardner Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Jeff didn't mind, though. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." OK--we didn't get out--OK? But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. 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. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. "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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." "I liked my name," he maintains. 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's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." "I'm a big boy." "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. You think this didn't break my heart?" Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. It wasn't the idea of gambling. 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." 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. "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." 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. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. 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 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 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. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. There were flowers everywhere. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. 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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. And for nearly a month, they did. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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. 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. 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. 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. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" He and his brothers had a plan, he says. 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." EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. 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. 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. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. "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." The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. 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." 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. Christopher Gardner "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." 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." AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. 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. I'm on the hook for $15 million. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. 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. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. You know the school we went to?" When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. "I'm a big boy." Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. "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. "They didn't teach anything about this. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" 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. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. 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. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? It's like we had no life except for the family." And for nearly a month, they did. 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. 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. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market.