Global Courant 2023-04-14 04:37:14
San Francisco police on Thursday arrested tech worker Nima Momeni in connection with the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee last week.
Authorities have not announced a motive for the stabbing, as Momeni and Lee appeared to know each other. There had been speculation that Lee’s murder was a random street crime.
What do we know about the murder?
Lee, 43, the chief product officer at cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin, was found bled to death near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge at around 2:35 a.m. on April 4. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Lee was in San Francisco for a few days to spend time with friends after a MobileCoin leadership summit, said Doug Dalton, who met him when they were software engineers.
What do we know about Momeni?
Momeni was arrested in Emeryville. Police have issued a search warrant at an address that matches a company owned by Momeni, Expand IT.
Founded in 2010, the company has partnered with clients in healthcare, finance and other markets, according to Momeni’s LinkedIn account.
Sam Singer, who works in an office next to Momeni’s and is on the building’s board, said they met when Singer moved into his space a month ago.
He called Momeni a “nice, professional gentleman,” but noticed an odd incident the night before Lee’s death, April 3, when a woman entered the building screaming the name “Nima,” Singer said, as well as posts on the private Facebook page. off the building. group.
Singer said the episode was so unnerving for residents that it was the subject of a complaint.
Singer said Momeni worked and lived in his unit and was there as early as 2021. When Singer first moved into his own unit, Momeni left him a note welcoming him to the building.
“He was very welcoming, friendly and charming. You would never have any idea that he would be accused of such a heinous crime.
A neighbor, who declined to give her name, said police officers, including a SWAT team, arrived Thursday morning to arrest Momeni and warned residents on his floor to stay indoors.
“I wonder how owners and landlords vet their tenants,” she said. “I’m not wild if I know someone lived in our building walking around with a knife.”
Lee’s boyfriend, Dalton, said that Lee and Momeni were in the same friend group but didn’t know each other.
“I didn’t know him, but I heard he was a little upset and had a short fuse,” Dalton said.
Russell Haynes, owner of Coast Range Technologies in the San Francisco Bay Area, said Momeni was an IT consultant at his company in 2006. Haynes said Momeni was a calm, respectful worker who often went into the field to solve corporate IT problems. in the Bay Area.
“He was a young man eager to learn IT. He wanted to run his own business,” Haynes said.
He was shocked to learn that Momeni had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
“That’s not the Nima of my time,” Haynes said.
Momeni was charged in 2011 in Alameda County with driving with a suspended license and selling a stiletto. He pleaded no contest to the moving offense, the knife charge was dismissed, and he was sentenced to 10 days in prison and three years of probation.
He was also charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in 2004, a misdemeanor. The charge was dismissed.
Neighbor Chris Donatiello said Momeni seemed friendly and welcoming, adding that nothing seemed wrong when he saw Momeni after Lee’s death.
“I saw him last week. Just out in the parking lot,” Donatiello said. “I said, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?’ and he said, ‘Better now that I see you.’”
