Toward the end of the call, things got heated. 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 that ain't happening because I can't afford it." The only reason we are driving around in his Lexus today is because he knows I have read the bizarre and bitter contents of a 2-foot-high stack of documents down at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. You know the school we went to?" 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. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. 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. 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." 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. She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. There were flowers everywhere. According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. The district attorney's office says that Bumb attorney Ron Werner turned the letter over to authorities immediately after it came in the mail. 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. Joe Bumb, cousin of Brian Bumb, owns American Precious Metals, an open-air store within the flea market that sells mostly jewelry. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. "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." Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. It wasn't the idea of gambling. Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. 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. In fact, he hasn't set foot in the place since October 1995, the year he stopped talking to his father and three brothers. The two, she said, never talked about what was going on while it was happening. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Split Personality: The Bumb family made millions off of the San Jose Flea Market (below), started by George Bumb Sr. in 1960, and bolstered its financial fortunes with the opening of Bay 101 in 1994, a project started by now-outcast son Jeff Bumb. Within weeks, Jeff says, his six-month-old dog was dead, his cat was dead and the tires of a family car were slashed. 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. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. 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. Now that their gaming license had been denied, a decision needed to be made--quickly. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. He followed that with suits alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and misrepresentation. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. 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. 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. They recorded the conversation. 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. VENZON WAS well known to the Bumbs. The elder Bumb may not have been feeling well, but he wasn't too sick to remember who was boss in this family. He and his brothers had a plan, he says. 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. Or at least he thought he didn't. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. Christopher Gardner According to Jeff, there was tremendous pressure from his father and others in the family to keep the incest a secret. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. "They didn't teach anything about this. And for nearly a month, they did. "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." 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. "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 and his brothers had a plan, he says. "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. "And I told you that I loved you and you are like a father to me. 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. 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. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. 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. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. Christopher Gardner "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. 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. Dealers stood at the tables, ready to deal the cards. OK--we didn't get out--OK? Initially, police filed felony charges against Matthew Bumb for having oral sex with a minor and penetrating her with his fingers. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. 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. But he didn't cash out. When Werner broke the news that Jeff's brothers wouldn't write a letter on his behalf, he says Jeff became furious. 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." Preventive Medicine: George Bumb Jr. is a co-owner of Bay 101, where a snakebite kit is kept on-hand as a family joke. You think this didn't break my heart?" 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. Matthew is the kind of guy a relative described to police as "polite," the guy parents wanted their daughters to date.