Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. You think this didn't break my heart?" You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. The only reason we are driving around in his Lexus today is because he knows I have read the bizarre and bitter contents of a 2-foot-high stack of documents down at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse. 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. "It's a very strong family. 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. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." 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. 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. Jeff didn't mind, though. 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. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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. 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. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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 fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. Christopher Gardner And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. It did the unthinkable: Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. But Jeff was confident. The guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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 he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. But the Bumbs are hardly traditional political players. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. Christopher Gardner EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. I'm on the hook for $15 million. 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. 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. 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. "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. 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. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "They didn't teach anything about this. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. 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. Christopher Gardner Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. You know the school we went to?" Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Christopher Gardner On weekends he'd bring his wife and a few of his 10 kids down there, too. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. 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. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. "He worked for me." She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. Well, guess what? She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. `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. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. "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 was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." 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. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. There were flowers everywhere. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. They recorded the conversation. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." 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. 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. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. "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." Christopher Gardner The Flea Market, touted as the nation's largest, made the Bumbs rich, grossing nearly $12 million in 1996. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. Christopher Gardner But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. 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. 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. 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. 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. "I liked my name," he maintains. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. But there was no gambling done that night. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. 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. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk 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. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. Snow White or Cinderella? 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. "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 a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Or at least he thought he didn't. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. 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. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. "I'm a big boy." When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. But he didn't cash out. Well, guess what? 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" 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 elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. I'm on the hook for $15 million. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. But Jeff was confident. 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. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. They recorded the conversation. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. "He worked for me." A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. "He took care of it." He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Werner said no. 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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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 couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. 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." ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. 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 don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. It did the unthinkable: After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. You know the school we went to?" "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. And for nearly a month, they did. John Bumb Obituary (1927 - 2018) - San Jose, CA - Mercury News According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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.