AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. 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 elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Christopher Gardner Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. They recorded the conversation. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." 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." "He worked for me." 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. 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. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. 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. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. 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. 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. 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." In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. 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. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. OK--we didn't get out--OK? And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. 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." 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 also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. OK--we didn't get out--OK? He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. 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. OK--we didn't get out--OK? he asked. Before the end of the month, the Flea Market laid off Jeff's daughters Anne and Rebecca. Christopher Gardner Tim, the second youngest of George Bumb's four boys, was already running the family toy business, Fact Games, and Premium Pet Stores. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. 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. 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. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. 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. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. 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. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. "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. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. When he was jailed, the desperate cop wrote a 15-page handwritten letter in pencil to George Bumb in May 1997 asking the Flea Market owner to bail him out. 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 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. `He drives by every day on his way to his Maverick Consulting development business in Mountain View, but he never gets off the Brokaw/First Street exit to pay a visit. 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. Eight months later, the frame of the weapon was found in a Salinas pond near Venzon's home with the barrel and slide missing. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. It's like we had no life except for the family." "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. 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." On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school 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. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Ultimately, Jeff says with resignation, he hopes I find the truth, "not my truth, not their truth, just the truth." Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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. Almost four months later, on July 21, 1998, George Bumb Sr. appeared in the downtown offices of Berliner Cohen to have his deposition taken. "The thing they probably value most is their privacy," Bryant explains. 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 worked for me." Christopher Gardner AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. "He worked for me." "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. 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. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. On weekends he'd bring his wife and a few of his 10 kids down there, too. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. It wasn't the idea of gambling. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. 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 two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. 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. Christopher Gardner He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. 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. 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. As a compromise of sorts, he was debating whether he should apply for a license as a gaming-club manager instead of as an owner. And Brian, the handsome and gregarious youngest brother, was in charge of day-to-day operations at the Flea Market. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. It's very tightknit," says Bryant, adding that the senior Bumb doesn't give interviews--ever. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. he asked. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. "They didn't teach anything about this. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. 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. 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. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. You know the school we went to?" He started telling people around the office that he wanted out of the family business. 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. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. 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. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date. Quite the same Wikipedia. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. As we do our drive-by on a Tuesday midmorning, there are more than 100 cars in the parking lot. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. 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.