16 years to life for Nima Momeni in killing of Cash App founder Bob Lee

Sentence follows murder conviction

A San Francisco court sentenced Momeni on Tuesday, more than a year and a half after jurors found him guilty. He had remained in custody since his arrest, nine days after Lee was killed on April 4, 2023.

Judge Alexandra Gordon denied Momeni’s bid for a new trial before imposing the sentence. His attorneys have said they plan to appeal the conviction.

Two accounts of the killing

Prosecutors said Momeni took Lee to a secluded location beneath the Bay Bridge and stabbed him three times with a knife from his sister’s kitchen. They argued that he was upset because Lee had introduced his younger sister to a drug dealer; she said the dealer gave her GHB and other drugs and sexually assaulted her.

Momeni testified that Lee had attacked him with a knife after Momeni criticized him for focusing on finding a strip club rather than spending time with family. He said he did not know Lee had been wounded or that the injuries were fatal, and maintained in court that he acted in self-defense.

Family speaks in court

Lee, 43, was found bleeding on a quiet downtown street and calling for help. He later died at a hospital. Lee’s 18-year-old daughter, Scout, spoke to Momeni in court. She said he had taken not only her father’s life but also the future his family had imagined with him, according to media reports. Momeni told the family he understood their loss and said their views of what happened were very different.

Jury rejected top charge

Jurors convicted Momeni of second-degree murder in December 2024 but rejected first-degree murder. That more serious charge required proof that the killing was deliberate, willful and premeditated; second-degree murder does not require premeditation. Lee created the mobile payment service Cash App and served as chief product officer at cryptocurrency company MobileCoin.