CashApp CEO murder case inches forward more than a year after conviction – Courthouse News
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Wednesday, April 23, 2025
A jury convicted Nima Momeni of murdering CashApp CEO Bob Lee in December 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The case against Nima Momeni, a tech worker convicted of stabbing and killing Cash App founder Bob Lee below the Bay Bridge in San Francisco in April 2023, progressed Friday after being stalled for over a year.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon met with lawyers for both parties in chambers before announcing two posttrial dates: a confidential status hearing on March 27 and a hearing for all new posttrial motions on July 10.
“It may sound lengthy because it is, but it is progress,” Gordon said.
The judge acknowledged the sluggish pace of the case and warned the parties that she would not look favorably on a request for a continuance.
“Commit July 10 to your memory, enshrine it in your mind, it’s the day we finally have a hearing on all new trial motions,” she said.
The case has been static for over a year due to a delay in obtaining full trial transcripts.
Prosecutor Omid Talai told the judge that there are a few transcripts that were still missing he expected to receive soon and that the delay would not slow his office down.
During the hearing, Momeni sat next to his lawyer, Daniel Shriro, in a bright orange sweatshirt and pants.
Shiriro told Courthouse News in an email statement following the hearing that “Mr. Momeni is looking forward to bringing to light the ways in which he was denied a fair trial in this case.”
A representative for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This past June, Shriro, who’d just taken over Momeni’s case, requested a postponement to review “all of the transcripts” in the case before sentencing.
Gordon, although amenable to the delay, said it could take some time for Momeni’s attorneys to get the full transcripts because of a nationwide court reporter shortage.
In December, Shriro told the judge some progress had been made; however, one of the court reporters had yet to return any transcripts.
“We have not gotten a single transcript from the other reporter. She told us she would have everything to us by now, and we don’t have an update on when we will have them,” he said. “Everyone wants these transcripts to be here so we can move forward.”
Gordon was similarly frustrated by the delay, telling the parties that the year-long pause was “a lot of time without closure with this just hanging there.”
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
A jury found Momeni guilty of second-degree murder in San Francisco Superior Court after a two-month trial in late 2024. He faces 16 years to life in prison.
At trial, prosecutors argued Momeni killed Lee in a fit of rage because Lee had been doing drugs with Momeni’s sister and introduced her to a drug dealer who sexually assaulted her.
The defense team said Momeni acted in self-defense and that Lee was on a multiday drug bender of cocaine, alcohol and other substances that made him unstable and unpredictable in the days before the stabbing.
Testifying in his own defense during the trial, Momeni said that while he and Lee were alone underneath the Bay Bridge on the night of Lee’s death, he told a “bad joke” that set Lee off. Lee began circling him, he testified, and pulled a knife out of his jacket pocket. Momeni said he disarmed Lee before fleeing the scene and did not know Lee was injured when he fled.
However, logical inconsistencies abounded in Momeni’s account of the events. Prosecutors grilled him on the “bad joke” explanation and asked him why he didn’t call the police when he learned Lee had died.
Government witnesses said at trial that Lee was stabbed three times, including one wound that punctured his heart. They showed grainy video of the stabbing and street surveillance footage of a wounded Lee, bounding up Main Street before collapsing.
Forensic experts testified that only Nima Momeni’s DNA was on the handle of the knife — and only Lee’s DNA was on the blade.
Momeni’s sister also testified during the trial. Her brother and Lee were last seen leaving her Millennium Tower residence the night Lee was killed. She said Lee was not himself and was heavily intoxicated in the days and hours before his death, bolstering the defense’s argument.
She said she too was heavily under the influence during the weeks before and after Lee’s death, and that his drug dealer friend Jeremy Boivin had sexually assaulted her after giving her GHB, a date rape drug.
Her brother was not mad at Lee, however, and was instead angry with Boivin, she said. She testified that her brother and Lee were getting along the night of the murder and sharing drinks, adding that all was normal when they left her apartment.
Prosecutors also grilled Momeni’s sister on her recollection of events, accusing her of being evasive and only answering clear questions from the defense team, which she paid for.
During closing arguments, Momeni’s defense attorney Saam Zangeneh showed a video from The Battery, a club in San Francisco, in which Lee and a friend appear to sniff drugs with an object similar in size and dimensions to the knife.
Lee’s family filed a wrongful death suit against Momeni’s sister and mother in San Francisco Superior Court, claiming the family helped him cover up the murder.
Momeni additionally sued media outlets, including the LA Times, San Fransico Standard, and the New York Post, as well as photojournalist Paul Kuroda over the press coverage of his legal case.
Momeni claims defamation, breach of contract, professional negligence, civil rights violations, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and invasion of privacy. He seeks $17 million in damages.
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.
source
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
A jury convicted Nima Momeni of murdering CashApp CEO Bob Lee in December 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The case against Nima Momeni, a tech worker convicted of stabbing and killing Cash App founder Bob Lee below the Bay Bridge in San Francisco in April 2023, progressed Friday after being stalled for over a year.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon met with lawyers for both parties in chambers before announcing two posttrial dates: a confidential status hearing on March 27 and a hearing for all new posttrial motions on July 10.
“It may sound lengthy because it is, but it is progress,” Gordon said.
The judge acknowledged the sluggish pace of the case and warned the parties that she would not look favorably on a request for a continuance.
“Commit July 10 to your memory, enshrine it in your mind, it’s the day we finally have a hearing on all new trial motions,” she said.
The case has been static for over a year due to a delay in obtaining full trial transcripts.
Prosecutor Omid Talai told the judge that there are a few transcripts that were still missing he expected to receive soon and that the delay would not slow his office down.
During the hearing, Momeni sat next to his lawyer, Daniel Shriro, in a bright orange sweatshirt and pants.
Shiriro told Courthouse News in an email statement following the hearing that “Mr. Momeni is looking forward to bringing to light the ways in which he was denied a fair trial in this case.”
A representative for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This past June, Shriro, who’d just taken over Momeni’s case, requested a postponement to review “all of the transcripts” in the case before sentencing.
Gordon, although amenable to the delay, said it could take some time for Momeni’s attorneys to get the full transcripts because of a nationwide court reporter shortage.
In December, Shriro told the judge some progress had been made; however, one of the court reporters had yet to return any transcripts.
“We have not gotten a single transcript from the other reporter. She told us she would have everything to us by now, and we don’t have an update on when we will have them,” he said. “Everyone wants these transcripts to be here so we can move forward.”
Gordon was similarly frustrated by the delay, telling the parties that the year-long pause was “a lot of time without closure with this just hanging there.”
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
A jury found Momeni guilty of second-degree murder in San Francisco Superior Court after a two-month trial in late 2024. He faces 16 years to life in prison.
At trial, prosecutors argued Momeni killed Lee in a fit of rage because Lee had been doing drugs with Momeni’s sister and introduced her to a drug dealer who sexually assaulted her.
The defense team said Momeni acted in self-defense and that Lee was on a multiday drug bender of cocaine, alcohol and other substances that made him unstable and unpredictable in the days before the stabbing.
Testifying in his own defense during the trial, Momeni said that while he and Lee were alone underneath the Bay Bridge on the night of Lee’s death, he told a “bad joke” that set Lee off. Lee began circling him, he testified, and pulled a knife out of his jacket pocket. Momeni said he disarmed Lee before fleeing the scene and did not know Lee was injured when he fled.
However, logical inconsistencies abounded in Momeni’s account of the events. Prosecutors grilled him on the “bad joke” explanation and asked him why he didn’t call the police when he learned Lee had died.
Government witnesses said at trial that Lee was stabbed three times, including one wound that punctured his heart. They showed grainy video of the stabbing and street surveillance footage of a wounded Lee, bounding up Main Street before collapsing.
Forensic experts testified that only Nima Momeni’s DNA was on the handle of the knife — and only Lee’s DNA was on the blade.
Momeni’s sister also testified during the trial. Her brother and Lee were last seen leaving her Millennium Tower residence the night Lee was killed. She said Lee was not himself and was heavily intoxicated in the days and hours before his death, bolstering the defense’s argument.
She said she too was heavily under the influence during the weeks before and after Lee’s death, and that his drug dealer friend Jeremy Boivin had sexually assaulted her after giving her GHB, a date rape drug.
Her brother was not mad at Lee, however, and was instead angry with Boivin, she said. She testified that her brother and Lee were getting along the night of the murder and sharing drinks, adding that all was normal when they left her apartment.
Prosecutors also grilled Momeni’s sister on her recollection of events, accusing her of being evasive and only answering clear questions from the defense team, which she paid for.
During closing arguments, Momeni’s defense attorney Saam Zangeneh showed a video from The Battery, a club in San Francisco, in which Lee and a friend appear to sniff drugs with an object similar in size and dimensions to the knife.
Lee’s family filed a wrongful death suit against Momeni’s sister and mother in San Francisco Superior Court, claiming the family helped him cover up the murder.
Momeni additionally sued media outlets, including the LA Times, San Fransico Standard, and the New York Post, as well as photojournalist Paul Kuroda over the press coverage of his legal case.
Momeni claims defamation, breach of contract, professional negligence, civil rights violations, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and invasion of privacy. He seeks $17 million in damages.
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.
source
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
