Nima Momeni’s sister: You ‘handled’ Cash App founder Bob Lee dispute ‘with class’: prosecutors

Nima Momeni’s sister: You ‘handled’ Cash App founder Bob Lee dispute ‘with class’: prosecutors

Prosecutors believe Cash App founder Bob Lee was stabbed in a planned attack by tech startup owner Nima Momeni following an argument about the alleged killer’s sister.

Lee and Momeni reportedly had a spat on the evening of April 3 regarding Khazar Elyassnia, in which Momeni asked Lee if his sister “was doing drugs or anything inappropriate.” Hours later, surveillance video shows Lee arriving to Elyassnia’s high-rise, which Momeni had also entered earlier in the night.

The video later shows Lee and Momeni leaving the building shortly after 2 a.m. in Momeni’s BMW. From there, Momeni allegedly drove Lee to a relatively remote area in San Francisco, where he plunged a 4-inch kitchen knife into the 43-year-old’s heart.

Lee, who was stabbed three times, managed to dial 911 at 2:34 a.m. after stumbling through the streets seeking help. Police arrived minutes later, but couldn’t revive the victim. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Prosecutors said at some point Elyassnia texted Lee, saying Momeni came “down hard” on him and thanking him for handling the situation “with class.”

Momeni, 38, was arrested and charged with Lee’s murder Thursday. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said in a press conference the men knew one another, but declined to offer specifics on their relationship. The suspect is also involved in tech as the owner of consulting company Expand IT.

Lee previously spent time in the Silicon Valley area, but was living in Miami at the time of his death. He was back in San Francisco on business and staying at a hotel near Elyassnia’s apartment.

Speculation about Lee’s death was spread on social media by influencers including Twitter owner Elon Musk, who called for stricter punishment for “repeat violent offenders.”

Mayor London Breed called that statement “reckless and irresponsible” and accused Musk — a right-leaning provocateur — of assuming “incorrect circumstances about Mr. Lee’s death [that] serve to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco.”

Criminal records indicate Momeni was charged with possessing a switchblade knife and driving with a suspended license in 2011. He pleaded no contest to the traffic charge. The knife charge was dropped after Momeni agreed to a plea deal. A 2004 DUI charge against him was also dismissed.

Lee’s family thanked San Francisco police for “so quickly” making an arrest.

With News Wire Services

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