"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. 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. Or at least he thought he didn't. There were flowers everywhere. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 2. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. 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." 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. 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. "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." 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. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." 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. 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. 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. 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. Well, guess what? Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. "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." Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. "They didn't teach anything about this. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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. 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. 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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. "He worked for me." 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. Werner said no. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. You think this didn't break my heart?" "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 the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. But there was no gambling done that night. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Christopher Gardner The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. Christopher Gardner And for nearly a month, they did. 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. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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." (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. he asked. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. The air conditioning is on, but beads of sweat surface on Bumb's forehead, between a pair of fierce-looking blue eyes and a receding blonde hairline. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. But he didn't cash out. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." But the Bumbs are hardly traditional political players. 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. 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." And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. 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. Or at least he thought he didn't. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. They recorded the conversation. 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. 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." Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. 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. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. Snow White or Cinderella? she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. 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 signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. 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. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. Snow White or Cinderella? `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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. And for nearly a month, they did. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. Christopher Gardner Christopher Gardner "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. But Jeff was confident. 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. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. Christopher Gardner According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. But Jeff says that privately he and his brothers had an oral agreement--which Tim Bumb now corroborates--that would one day let him repurchase his shares and become a partner in Bay 101 again. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. You think this didn't break my heart?" You know the school we went to?" The investigation was given a shot in the arm after the arrest of Johnny Venzon in 1997, a cop who made headlines for burglarizing homes while on duty to pay for his mounting gambling debts. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. It's like we had no life except for the family." After visiting swap meets in Los Angeles and Paris' Thieves Market for inspiration, George Bumb Sr. established the San Jose Flea Market at 1590 Berryessa Road in San Jose, California. 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. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. But he didn't cash out. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. 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 wanted to relocate and expand Sutter's Place in Alviso from a five-table card room to a 40-table one, matching the size of Northern California's largest card room, Garden City in San Jose. 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. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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'm on the hook for $15 million. You know the school we went to?" 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. "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." I'm on the hook for $15 million. "He worked for me." "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.) And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. 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. Well, guess what? 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." During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with 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. Snow White or Cinderella? 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. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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 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. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." When family patriarch and Flea Market mastermind George Bumb Sr. was invited to attend a party with President Clinton in San Francisco a couple of years ago, he refused to go and sent his community relations specialist, Betsy Bryant, instead. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. He wanted to relocate and expand Sutter's Place in Alviso from a five-table card room to a 40-table one, matching the size of Northern California's largest card room, Garden City in San Jose. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. "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." One wag refers to them as "the Beverly Hillbillies of San Jose." And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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." Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. You think this didn't break my heart?" But he didn't cash out. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. Christopher Gardner And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. "He worked for me." But Jeff was confident. Werner said no. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." It wasn't the idea of gambling. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. And for nearly a month, they did. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. And for nearly a month, they did. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. 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. Werner said no. "He worked for me." Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. She earns more than enough thanks to her endorsements, modeling activity, and appearing in advertisements. "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." Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. Other members of the Bumb family own vendor stalls, work at food carts, and have managerial positions within the flea market. 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. 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. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. 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. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. 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. 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. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. But there was no gambling done that night. 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." And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." Well, guess what? Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. UNLOCK PROFILE. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market.