Nima Momeni pleads not guilty to fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee as judge denies him bail
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Tech executive Nima Momeni, the man charged with fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee with a kitchen knife on a San Francisco street, pleaded not guilty to the crime on Wednesday. Momeni's attorney, Paula Canny, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
Momeni's bail was, however, denied by Judge Victor Hwang who also ordered that he be detained pending the upcoming preliminary hearing. As Momeni wore a jumpsuit in the courtroom, Bob Lee's family lined up on one side of the courtroom while Momeni’s mother, Mahnaz Momeni, and sister, Khazar Elyssiana sat on the other.
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'He then tossed the knife and fled'
Prosecutor Omid Talai argued that Momeni be denied bail for a "premeditated" stabbing. Talai said, Momeni took Lee to a secluded place as he drove in the opposite direction of his hotel. After Satabing Lee three times, “He then tossed the knife and fled,” Talai said as per Daily Beast.
According to Talai, the handle of the knife that was sent for DNA testing by the police quickly matched Momeni. Talai argued that the act was not in self-defense, saying that the knife's handle "importantly shows that Bob Lee's DNA was not on that handle." Instead, Lee's DNA was discovered through a study of the blood-smeared blade, he continued.
Judge said Momeni was not a flight risk but he was a threat
The judge of the superior while denying bail further stated that he did not think Momeni posed a flight risk but that he was a threat to the community. In the early hours of April 4, according to investigators, Momeni stabbed Lee three times with a kitchen knife in San Francisco's Rincon Hill district, with one of the wounds piercing through Lee's heart and killing him. The stabbing allegedly occurred after an altercation in which Momeni asked Lee if he was taking drugs with his sister, Khazar Elyassnia.
Khazar Momeni: Woman at the center of the case
Friends of Lee told the Wall Street Journal that Lee was romantically involved with Khazar, the sister of Nima Momeni, who is married to plastic surgeon Dino Elyassnia. It was also mentioned that Lee had previously dated a woman who had a past relationship with Momeni. Friends of Lee disclosed details about his lifestyle, which apparently included a penchant for partying and drug use.
Lee held an executive position at MobileCoin
Bob Lee played a significant role in the development of Cash App while employed at Block, formerly known as Square, which was founded by Twitter's Jack Dorsey. At the time of his death, Lee held an executive position at MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency company. On the other hand, Nima Momeni owned Expand IT, an IT consulting firm that faced suspension by the state tax board in 2016. According to reports, Momeni had an outstanding debt of nearly $18,500 to the IRS in 2017.