Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. But the Bumbs are hardly traditional political players. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. And that ain't happening because I can't afford it." It did the unthinkable: At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." 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. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. 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. 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. 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. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. You think this didn't break my heart?" Christopher Gardner One of George Bumb Sr.'s granddaughters explained to police that her family was very old-fashioned: "The woman gets the short end of the deal; she is a whore. "It's a very strong family. 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. 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." Christopher Gardner "Jeff is a wheeler and dealer," explained his Uncle John, the Flea Market's executive vice president and owner of the Skeeball Arcade. His crimes included taking valuables from the bereaved family members of dead crime victims while pretending to console them. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. "I don't need their help," he barked at Werner. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. And there were gamblers everywhere who had come looking for some action. Joe Bumb, cousin of Brian Bumb, owns American Precious Metals, an open-air store within the flea market that sells mostly jewelry. 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. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Meanwhile, Jeff and his lawyers spent 15 months trying get his father to appear at a deposition. That promised to be a hard sell to the San Jose City Council, which would have to authorize both the new site and the expansion. "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. He was also the kind of guy, police records reveal, who told his mother about the incidents "because he felt guilty." "Could he [Jeff] do any other work on his own behalf?" 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. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. "I liked my name," he maintains. 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. Christopher Gardner she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. In a fit, he took the paper he was writing on, crumpled it up and threw it out the office door. "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." (That thing that involved Jeff when Bay 101 was scheduled to open but didn't.)" Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. 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. 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. 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. (In one case, George Bumb Sr. loaned Jeff $31,250 in 1992 for his son to invest in Bay 101.) "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. FROM THE START, Jeff's three brothers and father didn't share his enthusiasm for opening a lavish gaming house. I'm on the hook for $15 million. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. 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. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. 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. A nurse was present to monitor his condition. He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. she said, referring to the family-run Catholic school at the Flea Market. Christopher Gardner They recorded the conversation. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. It's like we had no life except for the family." Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. 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. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. 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. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. The teenagers had been drinking booze earlier in the night. Werner said no. 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. Werner said no. And he [Jeff] wants me to violate the condition which says in it that I sign away my rights and they close us down. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. Christopher Gardner Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. 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. 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. 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. Christopher Gardner 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. 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 Hewlett family: Based in Palo Alto, worth $2.6 billion. It's like we had no life except for the family." But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. You think this didn't break my heart?" Werner said no. And then there's the stuff that never made it into headlines, like the alleged murder-for-hire plot out at the Flea Market. 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. Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. 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. And it was very explicit in there that no Bumbs could have anything to do with the club. 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 signed a deal with his brothers that prohibited him from owning Bay 101 stock until he got all the necessary licenses. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. One wag refers to them as "the Beverly Hillbillies of San Jose." When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious.
Justin Tranter Obituary, 2021 Bruins St Patrick's Day Jersey, Articles B
Justin Tranter Obituary, 2021 Bruins St Patrick's Day Jersey, Articles B