{"id":44007,"date":"2026-08-14T09:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T04:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44007"},"modified":"2026-08-14T09:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T04:12:09","slug":"bob-lee-killer-nima-momeni-plays-race-card-in-blue-san-francisco-after-murder-conviction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44007","title":{"rendered":"Bob Lee killer Nima Momeni plays race card in blue San Francisco after murder conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F1661444141363126272-according-time-stamp-next-137348894.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Convicted killer Nima Momeni <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/19\/us-news\/don-lemon-pulls-race-card-to-explain-minnesota-church-invasion\/\">is playing the race card<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian-born, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/11\/us-news\/venezuelan-illegal-migrant-identified-in-fatal-stabbing-of-68-year-old-california-retiree\/\">non-US citizen<\/a> is heading back to a San Francisco courtroom Friday, where his new defense team will argue that racial bias tainted the trial that ended with his conviction for murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee.<\/p>\n<p>Momeni, 42, was found guilty of second-degree murder in December 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Now his lawyers are invoking California\u2019s Racial Justice Act, claiming prosecutors violated the law, according to Courthouse News Service.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Nima Momeni, who is suspected of murdering tech executive Bob Lee, appears in court on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, in San Francisco, Calif. Lee, who created the mobile payment service Cash App, was attacked in the city\u2019s downtown Rincon Hill neighborhood. (David G. McIntyre) <span class=\"credit\">David G. McIntyre<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A newly released photo shows Bob Lee walking up Main Street toward Harrison, near where investigators say he was stabbed. <span class=\"credit\">Court documents via NBC\/Twitter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A San Francisco Superior Court judge will hear the claim at an evidentiary hearing Friday morning, including allegations that prosecutors used dehumanizing and ethnically charged descriptions of Momeni during the trial.<\/p>\n<p>Momeni was born in Iran and speaks English as a second language.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Cali - Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia&#8217;s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The case began in the early-morning hours of April 4, 2023, when Lee, 43, was stabbed through the heart beneath the Bay Bridge between about 2:25 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>Lee, a father of two, had been a major name in tech. <\/p>\n<p>He worked <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/29\/us-news\/google-planning-to-release-millions-of-mosquitoes-into-california-to-help-stop-diseases\/\">as a Google<\/a> engineer, founded Cash App and later became an executive at cryptocurrency company MobileCoin.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A newly released photo shows Bob Lee in the lobby of the Millennium Tower. The tower is where Nima Momeni\u2019s sister, Kazar, lives. <span class=\"credit\">Court documents via NBC\/Twitter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Khazar Elyassnia arrives for the arraignment of her brother Nima Momeni on Thursday, May 18, 2023, in San Francisco, California. Momeni pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the stabbing murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After the stabbing, Lee left a trail of blood as he called 911 <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/21\/us-news\/elderly-capitola-woman-fatally-stabbed-outside-mall-in-random-attack\/\">begging for help before collapsing <\/a>on Main Street.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said Momeni went after Lee in a revenge attack involving his younger sister, Khazar, after she was sexually assaulted by a drug dealer.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>California Post News<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCaliforniaPost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@CaliforniaPost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@thecaliforniapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post Sports<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capostsports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/capostsports\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CaliforniaPostSports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post  <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opinion<\/a> <br \/><strong>California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/email.nypost.com\/#california-post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post App<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download here!<\/a><br \/><strong>Home delivery<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\">Sign up here!<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/><\/a><strong>Page Six Hollywood<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Prosecutors said Lee was unarmed when he was killed. <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@boblee<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Momeni blamed Lee, prosecutors said, because Lee had used drugs with Khazar, introduced her to the dealer and left her alone with the assailant.<\/p>\n<p>Khazar, married to a wealthy plastic surgeon, had a casual relationship with Lee and attended parties with him. Prosecutors showed jurors flirtatious text messages between the pair.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors argued Momeni lured Lee away from Khazar\u2019s luxury Millennium Tower apartment and brought him to a dark street beneath the Bay Bridge to kill him.<\/p>\n<p>Khazar later sent Lee a message that morning before realizing he was dead: \u201cJust wanted to make sure your doing ok. Cause i know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also bombarded Momeni with angry messages asking what had happened to Lee after they left her apartment. Jurors saw messages in which she called her brother a \u201clunatic\u201d and \u201cpsycho.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Momeni took the stand and offered a different story.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A San Francisco Superior Court judge will hear the claim at an evidentiary hearing Friday morning <span class=\"credit\">Court documents via NBC\/Twitter<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He testified Lee attacked him after Momeni made a \u201cbad joke\u201d about Lee spending time in strip clubs instead of with his family. <\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said Lee was unarmed when he was killed.<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s Racial Justice Act became law in 2021. In 2025, a San Francisco judge granted an RJA motion for the first time in the city, finding implicit racial bias against a Black man convicted of gun charges. <\/p>\n<p>His felony conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor.<\/p>\n<p>It is unclear what would happen to Momeni\u2019s murder conviction if a judge grants his RJA motion.<\/p>\n<p>And despite the guilty verdict, Momeni still hasn\u2019t been sentenced.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 20 months after jurors convicted him, he remains in San Francisco County jail awaiting a heavily delayed sentencing hearing.<\/p>\n<p>He faces 16 years to life behind bars.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Convicted killer Nima Momeni is playing the race card. The Iranian-born, non-US citizen is heading back to a San Francisco courtroom Friday, where his new defense team will argue that racial bias tainted the trial that ended with his conviction for murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee. Momeni, 42, was found guilty of second-degree murder&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/1661444141363126272-according-time-stamp-next-137348894.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}