Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. 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. 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. 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 ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. 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. But there was no gambling done that night. 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. 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. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. 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. 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." After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. "He worked for me." About 20 percent of the 130 students there are Bumb relatives.) He babysat the construction site every day for almost five months. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. "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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. "It made you tough, made you get a thick skin." A nurse was present to monitor his condition. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. 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. 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. "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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Other allegations were more dubious: Investigators chased after a tip that the Bumbs were skimming cash from the Flea Market parking lot, an accusation that was never proven. 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." 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. Christopher Gardner And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. I'm on the hook for $15 million. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." A nurse was present to monitor his condition. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. It did the unthinkable: The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. Phone & Email; All Addresses (1) Family (3) Social; Court (2) And More; And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. 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. 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. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. "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. 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. Well, guess what? 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. 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. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. "He worked for me." And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. 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. 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. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. 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. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. 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 on the hook for $15 million. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. "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. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. 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." Well, guess what? After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. "I liked my name," he maintains. 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 demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. 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. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. "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 couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. Christopher Gardner 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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.