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." 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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. "It's a very strong family. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. Bay 101 was Jeff's idea--no one disputes that. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Christopher Gardner Jeff didn't mind, though. Phone & Email; All Addresses (1) Family (3) Social; Court (2) And More; And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. 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 he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. 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. 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. It wasn't the money, either. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. 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." "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. During the Venzon investigation, San Jose police dug up an old file from November 1990 in which Venzon, a sheriff's deputy, had reported his department-issued Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic stolen. 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) 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. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. "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." 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." The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. 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." Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. 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. "He took care of it." 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." "He worked for me." She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. 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. 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. "He worked for me." The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Bryant, who acts as emissary for the family and its patriarch, thinks the Bumbs are a misunderstood bunch. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. But there was no gambling done that night. 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. It wasn't the idea of gambling. "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. 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 he didn't cash out. (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. It did the unthinkable: Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. 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. But there was no gambling done that night. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Werner said no. OK--we didn't get out--OK? Well, guess what? He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. 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 a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. 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. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" "He took care of it." Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. "He worked for me." Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. It's like we had no life except for the family." Toward the end of the call, things got heated. "It's a very strong family. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Most of George Bumb Sr.'s five dozen grandchildren have grown up in the 95127 ZIP code and have attended the family-run K-12 Catholic school, St. Thomas More, located on Flea Market grounds since 1978. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. They recorded the conversation. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. Christopher Gardner Christopher Gardner "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." But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. "I'm a big boy." 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Snow White or Cinderella? Well, guess what? In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Well, guess what? The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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 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. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. During the Venzon investigation, San Jose police dug up an old file from November 1990 in which Venzon, a sheriff's deputy, had reported his department-issued Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic stolen. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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.