San Francisco police have arrested a tech consultant in connection with the stabbing death of Cash App creator Bob Lee. Nima Momeni, 38, was taken into custody Thursday in Emeryville and booked on suspicion of murder.
Lee, 43, was found stabbed early April 4 along Main Street in Rincon Hill, a neighborhood near downtown and not far from Google’s office and Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. Prominent tech leaders took to social media to mourn the death and blame San Francisco for what they called the city’s lax attitude toward crime.
San Francisco Police Arrest Suspect
The suspect in the killing of Cash App Creator Bob Lee was arrested Thursday morning and booked into the San Francisco County Jail on a murder charge, according to authorities. Nima Momeni, 38, the owner of a software company called Expand IT, will be arraigned Friday and is expected to be held without bail, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told reporters.
The stabbing of Lee sent shockwaves throughout the tech community and re-ignited debate about San Francisco’s safety. Tech CEOs like Elon Musk expressed disbelief that the city had a “horrific” crime rate, and questioned whether San Francisco’s streets are safe enough for professionals to be walking around at night. But prosecutors and police are pushing back against that sentiment and say Lee was killed by someone who knew him.
Suspect’s LinkedIn Profile
A 38-year-old tech consultant has been arrested in San Francisco on suspicion of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee, who was stabbed to death last week. The killing of Lee, a former Google engineer and chief technology officer at mobile payment firm Square, shocked the tech community.
He was a gregarious, fearless and doting father to his two children, friends said. He was raised in Missouri and had recently moved to Miami with his father, but was back in San Francisco for business when he was killed.
His LinkedIn profile describes him as a “dedicated technology partner” and owner of Expand IT, an information technology consulting company based in Emeryville, California. Secretary of State business records show he has been with Expand IT since 2010. Criminal records also show Momeni was charged with carrying a switchblade in 2011, a misdemeanor offense, and the case was dismissed after he took a plea.
Suspect’s Address
The suspect arrested in the killing of Cash App creator Bob Lee lives in Emeryville, a Bay Area suburb not far from downtown San Francisco. He lives in a condo unit with his family and shares an address with his sister, according to Mission Local.
The incident drew national attention and raised questions about public safety in San Francisco. It also prompted discussion about violence in the city and sparked conversations from prominent tech leaders like Elon Musk, who said violent crime is “horrific” and that San Francisco doesn’t take enough action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders.
But a new analysis from the San Francisco Chronicle found that violent crime in San Francisco is actually slightly lower than it was five years ago. During that time, SFPD reported a 14% drop in violent crimes and a 7% decrease in property crimes.
Suspect’s Family
The death of Bob Lee, a tech executive known for creating the mobile payment app Cash App, fueled fears about crime in San Francisco. Tech leaders were quick to put pressure on public officials to address the city’s dangerous streets.
A week after the killing, police in San Francisco asked for surveillance video from security cameras in the Rincon Hill neighborhood where Lee was stabbed. Investigators collected footage from several locations in the area and are now searching for a suspect.
On Thursday, prosecutors announced the arrest of a 38-year-old tech consultant named Nima Momeni. Authorities said he knew Lee, but declined to reveal any motive. Prosecutors plan to file a motion to detain Momeni without bail.
