At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. 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. "I'm a big boy." Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. OK--we didn't get out--OK? "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." VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." 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. 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. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. "I'm a big boy." Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. In the last five years, the Bumb family and its enterprises have been investigated for illegal political campaign contributions, an alleged profit-skimming racket out at the Berryessa Flea Market and even a murder-for-hire scheme involving Johnny Venzon, a former cop, convicted thief and gambling addict. And for nearly a month, they did. One wag refers to them as "the Beverly Hillbillies of San Jose." Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. I'm on the hook for $15 million. Christopher Gardner He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. 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 Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. 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 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. "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." It did the unthinkable: 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. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. But he didn't cash out. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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 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. 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. 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. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Well, guess what? When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. 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. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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 teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. Well, guess what? The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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. 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 Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. Snow White or Cinderella? Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. "He worked for me." 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. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. But there was no gambling done that night. 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. 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. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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 himself was hit with a federal grand jury investigation over financial transactions in connection with a multimillion-dollar residential development near Silver Creek Road. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. 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. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Though authorities were never able to prove a paid snuff plot, Jeff Bumb believes the allegations were a factor contributing to authorities' mistrust of him. Originally he was scheduled for questioning on March 10, 1997, but the old man's lawyers explained that their client was extremely ill, suffering from "severe life-threatening conditions," practically on his death bed. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Christopher Gardner "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. It's like we had no life except for the family." "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. "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." EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." Christopher Gardner "He took care of it." Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. 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. Jeff was also getting word from his nieces and nephews that his father said at a family poker game: "If it was up to him, all the grandchildren would marry each other." "And 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr.
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