"They didn't teach anything about this. 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. Jeff himself was hit with a federal grand jury investigation over financial transactions in connection with a multimillion-dollar residential development near Silver Creek Road. 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. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." I'm on the hook for $15 million. 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. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. 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. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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. They recorded the conversation. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. "He worked for me." 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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 as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." One month later, the state attorney general's office made a devastating announcement: Authorities had come across issues of "such magnitude" and "concern" that they would need at least another month to decide if gambling should be allowed at Bay 101. 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. 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. 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. 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. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." 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. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. You know the school we went to?" So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. It did the unthinkable: 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. 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. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. You know the school we went to?" 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. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. The court saga evolved into a battle of wills between a father--a man who wouldn't even let the Vatican tell him what to do--and his oldest son, determined to break free from the old man's grasp. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. Christopher Gardner Jeff didn't mind, though. 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. 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. 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. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. Christopher Gardner (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" "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." "He took care of it." Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. "They didn't teach anything about this. Privacy hasn't been so easy to come by for the Bumbs in the '90s, since they got involved in Bay 101. Werner said no. "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." A blue knit polo shirt covers his stocky 52-year-old frame. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. 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." 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. 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. Christopher Gardner Bumb, 61, of Gilroy, was one of the eight. 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 he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. "They didn't teach anything about this. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. "I'm a big boy." "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. 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. "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. 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. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. But Jeff was confident. 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 one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. And for nearly a month, they did. First, Jeff tried to have the Bumb & Associates partnership dissolved after accusing his family of trying to force him out without paying him a fair price. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. "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. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. 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. 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. 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 took care of it." She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. "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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. "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 couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. He can't ignore it. 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. Bumb and his family have owned Bay 101 since it was opened in the mid 90s. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. "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. And for nearly a month, they did. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. Seven of George Bumb Sr.'s eight grown children reside in the eastside foothills within a mile or two of their father, often on the same block. 7 of America's Richest Families Live in the Bay Area The Bold Italic Snow White or Cinderella? 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. 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. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. The Bumb Family Archives - San Francisco YIMBY Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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.