Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. 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. "I'm a big boy." "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. Joe Bumb, cousin of Brian Bumb, owns American Precious Metals, an open-air store within the flea market that sells mostly jewelry. 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. The Bumbs made millions off of their successful gaming club, Bay 101, but the experience tore the family apart and aired the dirty laundry of a once tightly-knit and fiercely private clan. 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. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. A blue knit polo shirt covers his stocky 52-year-old frame. Christopher Gardner 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. "He worked for me." The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. Christopher Gardner 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. 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 started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. 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. 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. 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. I'm on the hook for $15 million. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. "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." When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. I'm on the hook for $15 million. 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. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. It's like we had no life except for the family." "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. 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. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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 a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. But he didn't cash out. Well, guess what? Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. It's like we had no life except for the family." "I'm a big boy." And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. Aditi Bumb loves to watch Romantic Movies. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. "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." 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. "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. 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. 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. 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 a big boy." 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. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. Werner said no. "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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. "He worked for me." 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. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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 Bumb says he believes that state and local investigators at the time of Bay 101's limbo were investigating a rumor that Jeff had tried to get someone killed, a charge Jeff denies. Well, guess what? 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. 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. 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. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." 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. 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. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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. 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. More Info: What movies did she appear on? But Jeff was confident. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. "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." attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. The Bumbs had a plenty of experience with a cash business through the Flea Market, which they've run for almost 40 years. But there was no gambling done that night. 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. 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. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. 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. It wasn't the idea of gambling. "He worked for me." 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. Email Address: See available information. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Christopher Gardner 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. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market.