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. There were flowers everywhere. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. "I'm a big boy." She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. Christopher Gardner "I'm a big boy." At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. They recorded the conversation. 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. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. It did the unthinkable: 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. You think this didn't break my heart?" Even though all the lights were out, she told police that she knew it was Matthew "because the moonlight shined into the room through the large windows that faced the ocean." And for nearly a month, they did. 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. 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. These superaffluent folks made up 1.2% of the world's high-net-worth population comprising anyone with at least $1 million but they hold 34% of that group's wealth, amounting to $35.5 . Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. During his long tenure at the Flea Market, Venzon apparently developed a close relationship with George Bumb Sr. They recorded the conversation. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. 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. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. "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 started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. Ultimately, Jeff says with resignation, he hopes I find the truth, "not my truth, not their truth, just the truth." he asked. 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. But Jeff Bumb hasn't made a penny from the club since it opened in September 1994. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) "They didn't teach anything about this. 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. Or at least he thought he 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. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. Christopher Gardner OK--we didn't get out--OK? So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. When Jeff and Brian were denied licenses for Bay 101, Tim (above) and brother George Jr. jumped in. 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. "I'm a big boy." He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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. 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. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. You think this didn't break my heart?" Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. It wasn't the money, either. The Bumbs' reputation as an unconventional, insular, wealthy, large brood keeps tongues in political circles flapping. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. "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. "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." It wasn't the idea of gambling. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. They recorded the conversation. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. "I liked my name," he maintains. There were flowers everywhere. I'm on the hook for $15 million. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. "He took care of it." For all his quirks and controlling behavior, the old man is regarded as a benefactor by most family members and some Flea Market employees who know their boss to be capable of great generosity. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. They recorded the conversation. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. 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. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." "He took care of it." Toward the end of the call, things got heated. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." "They didn't teach anything about this. Christopher Gardner 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. "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. 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. 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. 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. 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. It wasn't the money, either. 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. But the Bumbs are hardly traditional political players. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. 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. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Whenever trouble arose at the Flea Market with city code or building inspectors, the Bumbs sent Jeff to settle things. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. Werner said no. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. 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 signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. 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. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. 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. 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 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. "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. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. 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. Christopher Gardner 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. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. 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. "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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. I'm on the hook for $15 million. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. 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. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. 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.