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Nima Momeni sentenced to 16 years to life for Bob Lee murder

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 11 Nov, 16:50 · Archive

Nima Momeni, 42, has been sentenced to 16 years to life for the second-degree murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco in April 2023.

Nima Momeni, 42, was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison on Tuesday for the second-degree murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. Momeni was convicted in December 2024, nearly two years after the killing on 4 April 2023. Under California law, a second-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory base sentence of 15 years to life, with the extra year coming from a deadly weapon enhancement.

Lee, 43, was found on a deserted downtown street dripping blood and calling for help. He died at a hospital after being stabbed through the heart with a knife prosecutors said Momeni took from his sister's kitchen. Prosecutors said Momeni stabbed Lee three times and had lured him away from his sister's luxury apartment in Millennium Tower to an isolated spot beneath the Bay Bridge.

Prosecutors argued Momeni attacked Lee in revenge over Lee's involvement with Momeni's younger sister, Khazar Elyassnia. They said Lee had introduced Elyassnia to a drug dealer, used drugs with her, and left her alone with the man, who then gave her GHB and other drugs and sexually assaulted her. Momeni's defence team claimed he acted in self-defence, saying Lee had lunged at him with a knife while under the influence of drugs and became aggressive after Momeni made a joke about his family. The jury rejected this claim.

At sentencing, Lee's daughter Scout, who was 14 when her father died, told the judge her world was 'shattered'. 'Mr Momeni, you didn't just take my dad that day,' she said. 'You took my best friend.' Momeni's mother, Mahnaz Tayarani, asked the judge to consider the totality of her son's life beyond his crime. Momeni told the judge: 'It was never my intention to see anyone hurt or suffer. I'm truly sorry.'

Momeni has been in San Francisco county jail since his arrest in late April 2023. The judge rejected his request for a new trial, and his attorneys said they plan to appeal. The killing initially fuelled narratives about San Francisco's street safety, with tech figures including Elon Musk citing it as evidence of lawlessness, though officials emphasised it was a personal dispute rather than a random crime.

Nima Momeni sentenced to 16 years to life for Bob Lee murder
Image: Engadget

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In this story: Nima Momeni · Bob Lee · Khazar Elyassnia · Cash App · San Francisco

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log