Man convicted of murdering Cash App CEO sentenced to 16 years to life

Nima Momeni was found guilty of second-degree murder in San Francisco Superior Court after a two-month trial in late 2024.SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Nima Momeni, a tech worker convicted of stabbing and killing Cash App founder Bob Lee beneath the Bay Bridge in San Francisco in April 2023, was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years to life in prison.A jury found Momeni guilty of second-degree murder in San Francisco Superior Court after a two-month trial in late 2024.At trial, testimony and camera footage showed Lee and Momeni together the night of Lee’s killing in 2023. 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.In contrast, Momeni claimed he acted in self-defense and that Lee was on a multiday bender of cocaine, alcohol and other substances that made him unstable and unpredictable in the days before the stabbing.Before the sentence was handed down, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon heard arguments on Momeni’s motion for a new trial based on supposed errors of law, prosecutorial misconduct, and juror misconduct. After nearly two hours of arguments, Gordon denied the motion in a lengthy ruling from the bench.Last March, Lee’s family filed a wrongful deathsuit against Momeni’s sister and mother in San Francisco Superior Court, claiming the family helped him cover up the murder. The suit is still ongoing.Momeni additionally sued media outlets, including the LA Times, San Francisco Standard, and the New York Post, as well as photojournalist Paul Kuroda over the press coverage of his legal case, seeking $17 million in damages. A judge struck the lawsuit for failure to pay court fees this year.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur 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.Additional Reads