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. Werner said no. OK--we didn't get out--OK? After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? He can't ignore it. 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. They recorded the conversation. 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 signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. 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. And for nearly a month, they did. 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. 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." 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. 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. Werner said no. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. It's like we had no life except for the family." 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. But Jeff Bumb hasn't made a penny from the club since it opened in September 1994. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. John left this home in 2002. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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 ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. 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. But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk about this. There were flowers everywhere. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. Jeff's grandfather, Frank Bumb, had met his wife, Mary, at a card parlor in San Francisco where they worked. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. He also runs day-to-day operations at the family-owned Flea Market. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. They recorded the conversation. 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. You know the school we went to?" And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. It's like we had no life except for the family." 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. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. The de Young family. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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 Bumb says writing a letter on Jeff's behalf would have violated the agreement with the police chief and put the club in jeopardy. Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. 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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Today, Bumb family enterprises include the local Premium Pet Stores chain, Air One Helicopters and, of course, Bay 101. 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. "They didn't teach anything about this. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. 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 as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. They recorded the conversation. 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. 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. 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. 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. 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. Christopher Gardner Over the years, he had developed working relationships with the city's politicians and bureaucrats. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. Snow White or Cinderella? About 20 percent of the 130 students there are Bumb relatives.) "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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 one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. 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. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. 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. It's like we had no life except for the family." 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. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. Well, guess what? 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." AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. 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. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. 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. 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. 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. It wasn't the idea of gambling. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. 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." Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. It wasn't the idea of gambling. 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. 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. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. He can't ignore it. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. "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."