Nima Momeni gets 16 years to life for Bob Lee's murder

By Olivia Hart

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon sentenced technology consultant Nima Momeni to 16 years to life in prison on Tuesday for the second-degree murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. Momeni has remained in custody since his arrest nine days after the April 4, 2023 killing.

At sentencing, Momeni maintained that he acted in self-defense and told Lee’s family that he understood their loss. “Unfortunately, we have completely different understandings of what transpired,” he said.

Members of Lee’s family addressed the court on Tuesday, including his 18-year-old daughter, Scout Lee, who spoke directly to Momeni. “You did not just end his life, you ended an entire future built around a man,” she told Momeni, according to media reports.

What did the jury decide?

A jury in December 2024 found Momeni guilty of second-degree murder after rejecting his claim that he acted in self-defense. Jurors also rejected a first-degree murder charge, which required prosecutors to prove that Momeni acted deliberately, willfully and with premeditation.

Second-degree murder does not require premeditation. Before imposing the sentence, Gordon rejected Momeni’s request for a new trial.

The Associated Press account did not specify any grounds for Momeni’s proposed appeal or a timetable for filing it. The planned challenge therefore remains undefined, rather than representing a completed reversal of the conviction.

Takeaway: The jury convicted Momeni of second-degree murder but rejected the premeditation required for first-degree murder.

What did prosecutors say happened?

Prosecutors said Momeni planned the attack on Lee, drove him to an isolated spot under the Bay Bridge and stabbed him three times. One thrust struck Lee’s heart, and Momeni used a knife he took from his sister’s kitchen.

Prosecutors said Momeni was angry with Lee for introducing his younger sister to a drug dealer. The sister said the dealer gave her GHB and other drugs and then sexually assaulted her. That account gave prosecutors a stated motive for the attack.

Lee, 43, was found staggering on a deserted downtown street, dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. The renowned tech mogul later died at a hospital.

The Associated Press account did not describe forensic evidence that independently resolved the competing accounts of the knife confrontation.

Takeaway: Prosecutors described a planned killing tied to Momeni’s sister’s assault, while the jury stopped at second-degree murder.

What did Momeni tell the jury?

Momeni testified that Lee attacked him with a knife, angry after the technology consultant chided him about spending more time with his family instead of searching for a strip club that night. Momeni, who studies martial arts, said he did not realize he had fatally wounded Lee or that Lee was even hurt.

The accounts diverged over who wielded the knife first, why the confrontation occurred and whether Momeni recognized Lee’s injuries. The Associated Press summary did not say how his testimony addressed the prosecution’s account of three stabbings.

Takeaway: The jury rejected Momeni’s account of the knife attack, which remained the central factual dispute.

What does the case mean for Cash App and MobileCoin?

Lee created the mobile payment service Cash App and served as chief product officer of the cryptocurrency MobileCoin when he died. He had recently moved to Miami from the San Francisco Bay Area, where his ex-wife, Krista Lee, lives with their two children.

He had returned to California for a visit. The Associated Press report included no statement from Cash App or MobileCoin and did not examine any operating effect of the conviction or sentence on either organization.

Takeaway: The business record is narrow: Lee created Cash App and served as MobileCoin’s chief product officer, while neither organization issued a disclosed response.

What remains unresolved after sentencing?

Momeni’s attorneys have said they plan to appeal. The Associated Press account did not identify which rulings they intend to challenge or when they will file the appeal.

Until an appellate court rules, the second-degree murder conviction and 16-years-to-life sentence remain in place. The next legal milestone is an appeal filing, although the report gives no date.

Momeni continues to maintain that Lee attacked him and that he acted in self-defense. The jury rejected that account, and the court has now imposed the sentence.

Takeaway: The 16-years-to-life sentence is in effect, and the planned appeal is the next legal step.