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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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 day before, Monday at noon, half of the club's tables were full of gamblers playing seven card stud, Omaha and Texas Hold 'Em. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. There were flowers everywhere. 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. 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 wasn't the idea of gambling. 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. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. 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. Christopher Gardner Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. 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. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." 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. On weekends he'd bring his wife and a few of his 10 kids down there, too. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. 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. Well, guess what? But he didn't cash out. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. In her 10 years as the Flea Market's community relations specialist, Bryant has come to adore the lack of pretension among this clan of millionaires who have their offices in a mobile home where none of the furniture seems to match. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. Jeff didn't mind, though. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." I'm on the hook for $15 million. 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. The track is a universe removed from where he started, a world away from the relative obscurity of picking up scrap metal around San Jose back in the 1960s with his father. 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. Werner said no. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. Christopher Gardner He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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. About 20 percent of the 130 students there are Bumb relatives.) The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. 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. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" He and his brothers had a plan, he says. 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. Christopher Gardner And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. "They didn't teach anything about this. OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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." 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. 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. They recorded the conversation. 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 for nearly a month, they did. You know the school we went to?" Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. UNLOCK PROFILE. 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. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. It wasn't the idea of gambling. 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. "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." VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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." Jeff Bumb remembers that when he was going to school at Bellarmine in the '60s, the other kids would call him things like "Bumbsy" or "Bumbo." 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. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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." 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. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. 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. Ultimately, Jeff says with resignation, he hopes I find the truth, "not my truth, not their truth, just the truth." Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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." You think this didn't break my heart?" Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. Some Interesting & Unknown Facts About Aditi Bumb Aditi Bumb is a Pet Lover. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. "They didn't teach anything about this. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) You know the school we went to?" 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Well, guess what? 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. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this 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. 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. 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." EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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 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. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Christopher Gardner 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. 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." Christopher Gardner 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 asked. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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 fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. 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. 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. 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. 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. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. It did the unthinkable: 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. 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.