The man convicted of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee is now making a stunning last-ditch legal move, and it’s all about race. Nima Momeni, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in December 2024, is heading back to a San Francisco courtroom this Friday with a brand-new defense strategy.
Momeni’s legal team is invoking California’s Racial Justice Act, a law designed to address bias in the justice system. According to court documents, his lawyers are arguing that prosecutors used dehumanizing and ethnically charged language during the trial, targeting Momeni because he was born in Iran and speaks English as a second language.
The case has gripped the tech world since the early hours of April 4, 2023. That’s when Lee, a 43-year-old father of two and a former Google engineer, was stabbed through the heart beneath the Bay Bridge. He managed to call 911 and left a trail of blood before collapsing, but tragically, he didn’t survive.
Prosecutors painted a picture of revenge, alleging Momeni targeted Lee over an incident involving his younger sister, Khazar. They claimed Momeni blamed Lee for introducing Khazar to a 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 dealer who later assaulted her, and that he lured Lee away from her luxury apartment to a dark street to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 him. Jurors saw flirtatious texts between Lee and Khazar, as well as angry messages where she called her brother a “lunatic” and “psycho.”
Momeni took the stand with a very different story. He testified that Lee attacked him after a “bad joke” about Lee spending time in strip clubs instead of with his family. Prosecutors maintained Lee was unarmed.
Now, nearly 20 months after the guilty verdict, Momeni still hasn’t been sentenced. He remains in San Francisco County jail, facing 16 years to life behind bars. This Friday’s hearing could change everything—or nothing at all.
What happens to a murder conviction if a judge decides racial bias played a role?
