West
Defendant in Cash App founder's death found guilty of second-degree murder
A San Francisco jury found Nima Momeni, the man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee last year, found guilty of second-degree murder Tuesday.
Momeni was found not guilty of first-degree murder. The verdict was read out in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday morning local time.
The jury reached their verdict Monday afternoon after seven days of deliberations. He faces 16 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors alleged that Momeni, 40, a self-described tech entrepreneur, stabbed Lee three times with a knife he took from Momeni’s sister’s kitchen set in April 2023.
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Nima Momeni, left, was accused of fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee, right. (Nima Momeni/LinkedIn, Bob Lee/Facebook)
After the verdict was read, Momeini gave no visible reaction, though one of his attorneys put a hand on his shoulder, according to KTVU’s Henry Lee, who was inside the courtroom as the verdict was read.
Bob Lee’s brother, Oliver Lee, praised prosecutors at a press briefing immediately afterward.
“I think it was a very difficult case to prove in this day and age and I think [prosecutors were] up against the wrath of lawyers and a very high-powered defense team that was very expensive and very media friendly… and I think they did a great job,” Oliver Lee said.
He said he wished that the jury had come back with first-degree murder, but conceded: “It is what it is.”
“I know for a fact I’m never going to have my brother back, but this is the best of all worst of outcomes, right? So this is where we are today,” Oliver Lee said.
Asked about how he felt when the verdict was read out, Oliver Lee said: “I thought I was having a heart attack.”
Momeni’s mother, Mahnaz Tayarani Babai, who attended every day of the trial, said defiantly that her son plans to appeal the decision.
“I know my son and he never does (sic) that,” she said. “But this is not a fair trial and we will stand and we will continue. We are strong. We have been in difficult times together.”
Nima Momeni, the man charged in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee, makes his way into the courtroom for his arraignment in San Francisco on May 2, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool, File)
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins praised her prosecutors and said that the case was about two men in a private fight and not about the general crime rates in San Francisco.
She noted that Elon Musk had drawn nationwide attention to the killing at the time and connected it to crime in the city.
“After Bob Lee was murdered, Elon Musk took to Twitter to make an effort to really shame San Francisco and to make it seem like this was about lawlessness in San Francisco and about what’s going on in our streets,” Jenkins said.
“And we knew it was something different. And I think today proved once again that we are a city committed to accountability. We are a city committed to public safety, and that when something bad happens, which we can’t always control, that law enforcement at every level will respond to make sure that there is justice and accountability in each and every situation.”
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS CASH APP FOUNDER USING KNIFE TO SNORT COCAINE BEFORE DEATH, DEFENSE ALLEGES
Prosecutors claimed that Momeni planned and carried out the killing after hearing that the Cash App founder had introduced Momeni’s sister to a drug dealer who she says gave her GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid) and other drugs before sexually assaulting her at his apartment. GHB acts as a nervous system depressant.
Momeni lured Lee to an isolated spot by the Bay Bridge where he stabbed him before driving away in his car, prosecutors said. The prosecution said Lee’s blood was found on the blade and that Momeni’s DNA was found on the handle, per KTVU FOX 2.
Bob Lee’s ex wife, Krista Lee, is embraced by Rick Lee, Bob Lee’s father, at the Hall of Justice following Nima Momeni’s murder trial, on Dec. 17, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)
Momeni’s defense attorney said that he stabbed Lee in an act of self-defense as he tried to fend off an attack by Lee, who snapped over a bad joke. They say Lee was on a multi-day cocaine and alcohol bender and attacked Momeni with the knife over the joke, forcing Momeni to defend himself.
He testified during trial that Lee later walked away, showing no signs he was injured.
Attorneys for Momeni played bombshell surveillance video during closing arguments that they say shows Lee using a knife to snort cocaine hours before his death. They argued it was the same knife that Lee used to confront their client over the joke which led to the altercation.
Momeni testified he stopped his car after going over a pothole that caused Lee to spill the beer he was holding. Momeni said he then cracked a joke suggesting Lee should spend the last night of his visit with family instead of trying to find a strip club to keep the party going.
That’s when he says Lee pulled out the knife from his jacket pocket and attacked.
Bob Lee’s brother, Oliver Lee, praised prosecutors at a press briefing immediately afterward. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy)
Surveillance video showed the two men leaving the condo of the defendant’s sister, Khazar Momeni, around 2 a.m. on April 4, 2023, and getting into Momeni’s BMW.
Other surveillance footage showed them getting out of the car near the Bay Bridge, where the stabbing took place.
Lee was found staggering on a deserted downtown San Francisco street at 2:30 a.m., dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. He later died at a hospital.
Lee lived in Miami but was visiting the Bay Area when he was killed.
“I made a bad joke. I said if it was my last night in town, I’d go hang out with my family instead of f—— around in strip clubs. It set him off. He just blew up in front of me. He went from zero to one hundred. He was very angry,” Momeni said, according to KRON.
A courtroom sketch depicts Nima Momeni blotting his eyes as the verdict is read in on Dec. 17, 2024. Momeni was found guilty of second degree murder in the 2023 stabbing death of Cash App founder, Bob Lee. (Vicki Behringer)
However, the prosecution has mocked Momeni’s story, pointing out that he never called police to report Lee’s alleged attack or even after he learned Lee had died of stab wounds on the street where he had last seen him.
Lee created the mobile payment service Cash App in 2013 while he was working at Block, formerly known as Square. The app is a digital wallet which allows users to send, receive or save money.
Fox News’ Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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West
LAPD officer hit with felony charges after allegedly skydiving while collecting full disability benefits
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Officials on Wednesday accused a Los Angeles police officer of insurance fraud after he allegedly went skydiving multiple times while collecting full disability benefits.
Christopher Brandon Carnahan, 43, of Norwalk, was charged Monday after allegedly exaggerating an on-duty injury sustained in 2023, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Carnahan is a veteran officer who has been with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 18 years, according to WatchTheWatchers.net, citing California public records.
“This case is about honesty and accountability,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement.
Christopher Brandon Carnahan appears to skydive at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore. (District Attorney’s Office for the Los Angeles County District)
“Claiming to be temporarily totally disabled and collecting disability benefits intended for injured workers while engaging in physically demanding activities like skydiving is a crime. This is an officer who knows the law and understands the standards he is sworn to uphold.”
On May 22, 2023, Carnahan claimed he injured his left elbow while on duty and was subsequently placed on temporary totally disabled (TTD) status, officials said.
Police under TTD are entitled to receive 100% of their base salary tax-free for up to a year and then two-thirds afterward if the injury persists.
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Surveillance footage captures Carnahan working out at a fitness center with dumbbells. (District Attorney’s Office for the Los Angeles County District)
Contrary to claims of being completely disabled, Carnahan allegedly engaged in strenuous physical activity, including working out and completing “many skydives” at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore, south of Los Angeles.
The District Attorney’s Office also released photos showing what appears to be Carnahan skydiving and exercising at a fitness center. In one image, dated May 23, 2024, the LAPD officer is seen holding dumbbells in a motion that involves his elbows.
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A Los Angeles Police Department vehicle is parked in the city. (Los Angeles Police Department)
He faces two counts of felony insurance fraud and is being held on $100,000 bail. If convicted, Carnahan could be sentenced to six years in jail.
The LAPD, which is investigating the case, is expected to review Carnahan’s employment status pending the outcome of his criminal trial.
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San Francisco, CA
Hundreds Rally in San Francisco Against U.S.-Israel Strikes on Iran | KQED
She acknowledged that Iranian Americans hold a range of political views, including some who support U.S. intervention, but said she believes the future of Iran should be determined by its people.
“The Iranian people in Iran can decide the future of their country,” she said. “War, I don’t think, is going to help.”
Speaking to the crowd, Mortazavi challenged what she described as a narrative that Iranians broadly support U.S. and Israeli military action.
“They want you to believe that every Iranian … is cheering on the United States and Israel,” she said. “That is unequivocally false.”
She urged attendees to continue organizing beyond the rally and announced plans for additional demonstrations.
Dina Saadeh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said multiple groups mobilized quickly in response to the strikes.
“I’m angered today,” Saadeh told KQED. “People here don’t want to see our country engaged in more endless war.”
Saadeh described the protest as part of a broader effort to oppose sanctions, military escalation and what she called U.S. imperialism. She said participants were calling on elected officials to redirect public funds toward domestic needs.
“People want money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation,” she said.
KQED’s María Fernanda Bernal contributed to this story.
Denver, CO
Police searching for information after fatal assault in Denver
Denver police are looking for information that could help them identify the suspect in a fatal assault overnight.
Officers were called to the scene in the 9700 block of E. Hampden Avenue around 2:08 a.m. They said an injured man at the scene was taken to a hospital for treatment, but he has been pronounced deceased.
DPD says they’re investigating the case as a homicide. They did not provide the identity of the man who was killed or further details on the case.
Police encouraged anyone with information about the attack or the possible suspect(s) involved to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
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