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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" Christopher Gardner "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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 two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. And for nearly a month, they did. 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. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. "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." Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. It pitted Bumb against Bumb. 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 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. "It's making a whole lot of money," Bumb says of the club which city financial forecasters have predicted will gross $34.6 million this year, $11.5 million more than its cross-town rival, Garden City. But Jeff Bumb would greatly prefer not to talk about this. "They didn't teach anything about this. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." "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." According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. 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. "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. 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. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. On weekends he'd bring his wife and a few of his 10 kids down there, too. 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. 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. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. 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 it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. They recorded the conversation. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. Well, guess what? According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. But Jeff was confident. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. Christopher Gardner attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. Christopher Gardner OK--we didn't get out--OK? OK--we didn't get out--OK? 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. EIGHT MONTHS AFTER its approval by the City Council, the peach-colored Bay 101 held its "grand opening." 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. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. But the Bumbs are hardly traditional political players. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. "They didn't teach anything about this. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. Jeff signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. A blue knit polo shirt covers his stocky 52-year-old frame. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. "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. 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. "What am I going to say to the vice president?" Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. And for nearly a month, they did. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. 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. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) "I'm a big boy." "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. Or at least he thought he didn't. 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." "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. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. 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. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. 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. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. And for nearly a month, they did. 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 guy doesn't get a slap on the hand." 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. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. 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. 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. 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. 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. He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. But Jeff Bumb hasn't made a penny from the club since it opened in September 1994. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. 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. 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. 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. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." 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. 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. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. It's like we had no life except for the family." (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) Christopher Gardner "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." 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. And for nearly a month, they did. 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. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. 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.