Nima Momeni, Emeryville tech mogul arrested in stabbing murder of Bob Lee Cash App founder after confrontation inside car spilled onto San Francisco street. Suspect drove off as victim staggered.
A California tech executive has been arrested for the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. The man’s arrest comes after police say an argument inside a car both men were in spilled out onto the downtown streets of San Francisco.
Nima Momeni, 38, was arrested today at his home in Emeryville, around nine miles from where Lee was stabbed to death on April 4. He is the owner of Expand IT, a tech business in the Bay Area, and describes himself online as a start-up entrepreneur.
Lee, 43, was stabbed in the street last week while visiting from Miami, where he lived. Lee had come for a business summit with MobileCoin. It remained unclear if both men had attended the same event.
Surveillance video captured both men in Momeni’s car at around 2.30am, moments before the stabbing.
The tech executives had some kind of confrontation that led to the attack, according to police sources.
Emeryville tech mogul captured fleeing scene in car
Lee somehow staggered out of the car and was captured on surveillance footage struggling to walk nearby after being stabbed. He died moments later.
Momeni who had been driving the car from which Lee staggered out of, was captured on surveillance fleeing the scene, KTVU reported.
To date it remained unclear whether Momeni knew for certain that Lee was injured. It is also unclear whether the tech executive took off out of fear and didn’t know the exact circumstances.
Momeni lived and worked out of the ‘high end premiere loft’ in the Beslar Building in Emeryville.
A resident at Beslar described Momeni as ‘very welcoming, charming and bright, someone who would fit in at anybody’s party or event.’
Momeni who was arrested at his residence, Thursday morning was booked into San Francisco County Jail on a murder charge, according to records.
Alameda County court records cited by the San Francisco Chronicle show that in 2011 Momeni was charged with allegedly selling a switchblade knife and driving with a suspended license, both misdemeanors. He pleaded no contest to the suspended license charge the following year and the knife charge was dismissed. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail as well as three years of probation, fined more than $900 and ordered to destroy the knife.
Additionally, Momeni was charged with a misdemeanor in 2004 for allegedly driving while intoxicated.
The tech exec’s arrest comes amid heightened fears that Lee’s murder was yet another random violent incident amid increasing lawlessness and crime in San Francisco. Overall homicides in San Francisco is down from previous multi year levels.
