And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. 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, 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. Christopher Gardner But he didn't cash out. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. Christopher Gardner But he didn't cash out. 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. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "He took care of it." 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. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. 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." attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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 state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. 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. 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. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. They recorded the conversation. Christopher Gardner But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. Christopher Gardner Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. "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." Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. Christopher Gardner THINGS WERE certainly simpler back in the old days, before Bay 101, when the Bumbs were known for the Berryessa Flea Market, the family-owned business started in 1960 by 75-year-old family patriarch George Bumb Sr. 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. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Christopher Gardner 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. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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." He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." 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. Christopher Gardner 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." Christopher Gardner 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. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." `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. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. "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." We prioritise kindness and respect, providing a . 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. There were flowers everywhere. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. 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. "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." 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. There were flowers everywhere. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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. 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. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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. 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." 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. 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. "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." Werner said no. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." 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. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. You know the school we went to?" He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. 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. It wasn't the idea of gambling. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. Three years ago, the Mercury News listed the Bumb family in the Top 10 of the valley's most generous political contributors. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. I'm on the hook for $15 million. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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." 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. You know the school we went to?" 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 guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. 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." Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. "I'm a big boy." 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." But he didn't cash out. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. 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 witnessed abundant items thrown away every day and realized he could make a profit from these discarded items. 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. 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. 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." Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. 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. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. 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. 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. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. You know the school we went to?" I'm on the hook for $15 million. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. "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." (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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." `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. "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." 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. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. 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. 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. 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. Christopher Gardner AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. It's like we had no life except for the family." Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. You know the school we went to?" "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." Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family.
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