SAN FRANCISCO, United States – Technology consultant Nima Momeni was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison on Tuesday, November 10, for the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco in April 2023.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon imposed the sentence after rejecting Momeni’s request for a new trial. Momeni’s lawyers have said they intend to appeal the conviction.
Momeni, 42, was convicted of second-degree murder in December 2024. The jury rejected the first-degree murder charge, which would have required prosecutors to establish that the killing was deliberate and premeditated.
Dispute preceded fatal stabbing
Lee, 43, was found with multiple stab wounds on a downtown San Francisco street in the early hours of April 4, 2023. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Prosecutors argued that Momeni stabbed Lee three times with a kitchen knife after confronting him over an incident involving Momeni’s sister. They said Momeni believed Lee had been involved in her drugging and alleged sexual assault.
Momeni disputed the prosecution’s account. During the trial, he testified that Lee attacked him with a knife and that he acted in self-defense. The jury rejected that defense when it returned the second-degree murder verdict.
The two men knew each other before the killing. Investigators established that they had left an apartment building together shortly before the stabbing, and surveillance footage showed them near Momeni’s vehicle before Lee was found injured.
Lee’s family addresses the court
Members of Lee’s family spoke during the sentencing hearing, describing the lasting impact of his death.
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His daughter, Scout Lee, who was 18 at the time of sentencing, told Momeni that the killing had taken away not only her father but also the future they could have shared. His brother, Oliver Lee, also addressed the court, saying that no prison sentence could restore what the family had lost.
Momeni maintained that his understanding of the events differed from that of Lee’s family. He acknowledged their loss during his remarks but continued to dispute the account of the killing presented by prosecutors.
Case concludes sentencing phase after years of proceedings
The sentence brings the trial and sentencing proceedings to a major stage nearly three years after Lee’s death.
Momeni had remained in custody since his arrest, nine days after the killing. His legal team pursued several post-conviction challenges, including the request for a new trial rejected by Judge Gordon before sentencing.
The 16-years-to-life term reflects California’s punishment for second-degree murder. Momeni’s lawyers have indicated that the case will continue through the appeals process.
Lee founded Cash App, the mobile payment service, and was chief product officer at cryptocurrency company MobileCoin when he died. His killing initially drew national attention and renewed debate about public safety in San Francisco.
Primary Sources: San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, “Emeryville Man Convicted of Murder in Deadly April 2023 Stabbing Incident,” December 17, 2024: announced the jury’s conviction of Nima Momeni for second-degree murder in the death of Robert Lee and summarized evidence presented during the trial; San Francisco Superior Court, sentencing proceedings in People v. Nima Momeni, November 10, 2026: Judge Alexandra Gordon rejected the defense request for a new trial and imposed a sentence of 16 years to life. The complete sentencing order and hearing transcript were not independently retrieved; the sentence and details of the hearing are documented through contemporaneous court reporting.
