Cash App founder Bob Lee was having an affair with the sister of his alleged killer, friends say
The nature of Lee and Khazar Momeni’s relationship was not previously known, though court documents show that Nima — a 38-year-old tech consultant who had known Lee for a decade — confronted Lee about his sister prior to the stabbing.
Cash App founder Bob Lee dated his murder suspect’s ex-girlfriend before he started seeing his sister, friends said. The suspect’s lawyer disputes claims of an affair.
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- Nima Momeni is facing a murder charge in connection to the death of Cash App founder Bob Lee.
- Lee dated Momeni’s ex-girlfriend about three years ago, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
- At a later point, Lee began casually sleeping with Momeni’s sister, Khazar, per WSJ.
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Cash App founder Bob Lee dated his murder suspect’s ex-girlfriend before he began casually sleeping with the alleged killer’s sister, Khazar Momeni, friends familiar with Lee’s relationships told The Wall Street Journal.
Nima Momeni, a 38-year-old tech consultant, faces a murder charge in connection to the fatal stabbing of Lee on April 4 in San Francisco.
Prosecutors previously alleged in court documents that Momeni confronted Lee that night about his sister, Khazar, before the stabbing. According to a witness that evening, Momeni asked Lee if his sister “was doing drugs” or “anything inappropriate.”
Lee’s friends told WSJ that Khazar — who is married — was having an affair with Lee, but the Cash App founder’s connection to his suspected killer goes back further: About three years ago, Lee was dating Momeni’s ex-girlfriend, the friends claimed.
Keith Kraft, a mutual friend of both Lee and the unnamed woman, told the newspaper she started seeing Lee after splitting up with Momeni. It’s unclear how long after the woman broke up with Momeni before she started dating Lee.
Kraft said he recalled Momeni giving him dirty looks when he spent time with the woman, which he thought suggested Momeni was a jealous person: “Look, bro, I’m gay, I’m not a threat to you,” Kraft recalled telling Momeni.
He added that Momeni may have had “some major insecurities going on.” Kraft did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Afterward, friends familiar with the matter said that Lee started sleeping with Khazar Momeni, who is married to Dino Elyassnia, a well-known San Francisco-based plastic surgeon. The timeline of their alleged affair is unclear. An attorney for Elyassnia and Khazar did not respond to a request for comment.
Suspect’s attorney disputes alleged affair
In a call with Insider, Momeni’s lawyer, Paula Canny, disputed the information people provided to WSJ, including the alleged affair between Lee and Khazar.
“Based on my investigation, there was no romantic or sexual relationship between (Khazar) and Bob,” Canny said, adding that she didn’t know what Lee may have told other people about this supposed relationship. She declined to reveal to Insider what information she had to conclude Lee and Khazar were not having an affair.
Canny, who remains in contact with Momeni’s family, also said she isn’t aware if Lee and Momeni had the same partner. If they did, Momeni may have been unaware of it, Canny said.
“If Nima and Bob had ever dated the same person . I wasn’t aware, and it had no significance,” Canny said.
It’s unclear if Momeni might have heard of Lee through the alleged mutual ex-partner. According to a report from Mission Local, Momeni only knew Lee through his sister, who had known the Cash App founder for several years.
Momeni faces a murder charge with a sentencing enhancement due to the kitchen knife police say was used in the incident. The stabbing was a “planned and deliberate attack,” prosecutors alleged in court documents.
An autopsy report from the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner showed that Lee died from three stab wounds. The report also found the presence of alcohol, ketamine, and cocaine in Lee’s system.
Canny pointed to the toxicology report and told reporters after a May 2 court hearing that Lee’s system was “the Walgreens of recreational drugs,” suggesting it may be relevant to her client’s defense.
Friends told WSJ that Lee was part of an underground party scene known as “The Lifestyle,” which included recreational drugs and casual sex, for several years.
“It started with the hippies, who were not sober people, trying to expand their brains and the tech people came in and gentrified it like they did everything else,” said Harper Reed, the CEO of General Galactic Corporation, a fintech startup, and Lee’s friend, told WSJ.
Sources close to Lee also told the newspaper that Lee attended raves and took ecstasy, ketamine, and cocaine.
Lee’s wife, Krista Lee, who remained close to the Cash App founder even after their separation, disputed statements painting Lee as a “party boy.” She told WSJ that, if anything, Lee may have been microdosing ketamine to treat depression.
“He was kind and generous—he saw the good in everybody,” Lee’s wife told the newspaper. She added that “he was a dedicated father. He was more mature than that.”
Krista Lee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cash App founder Bob Lee was having an affair with the sister of his alleged killer, friends say
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- Cash App founder Bob Lee was having an affair with his accused killer’s sister, Khazar Momeni, sources told WSJ.
- Khazar’s brother, Nima Momeni, is in jail on murder charges in the fatal stabbing of Lee last month.
- Sources said Lee and Khazar were both part of “The Lifestyle,” an underground San Francisco party scene.
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Cash App founder Bob Lee, who was stabbed to death last month, was having an affair with the sister of his alleged killer, Nima Momeni, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
Friends of Lee who spoke to the Journal said Lee and Khazar Momeni, the wife of a well-known San Francisco plastic surgeon, were part of the same underground party circle known as the “The Lifestyle” and were casually sleeping together.
The nature of Lee and Khazar Momeni’s relationship was not previously known, though court documents show that Nima — a 38-year-old tech consultant who had known Lee for a decade — confronted Lee about his sister prior to the stabbing.
Lee and Khazar had reportedly been drinking with a group of friends at a house party in San Francisco prior to the altercation, which took place when Nima came to pick Khazar up. According to court records, Nima asked Lee if Khazar “was doing drugs [or] anything inappropriate” and proceeded to argue with the Cash App founder.
According to witnesses at the scene, Lee told Nima that his sister had not taken any drugs and “nothing inappropriate had happened.” A toxicology report later showed the presence of drugs in Lee’s system, including ketamine and cocaine.
Later that evening, Nima and Lee both arrived separately to Khazar’s apartment, before leaving together at 2:04 a.m. in Nima’s white BMW Z4. Prosecutors say Nima then drove Lee to a “dark and secluded” San Francisco street corner and stabbed him in a “planned and deliberate attack.”
“Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause [I] know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you,” Khazar wrote to Lee in a text following the confrontation, according to court documents. “Thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class. Love you Selfish pricks.”
Sources speaking to the Journal said both Lee and Khazar were part of “The Lifestyle,” a scene within the San Francisco tech community that involves recreational drug use and casual sex. According to court documents, prosecutors said Khazar was married, “but the relationship had possibly been in jeopardy.”
Gift Kerat, a friend of Lee who said she spent a lot of time with him during the pandemic, told the Journal that Lee had several girlfriends during this period, but “was respectful of them.”
In a statement provided to the Journal, Khazan’s attorneys Mary McNamara and Ed Swanson said “There are many rumors circulating around this case, many of them untrue.”
“Ms. Momeni loves and supports her brother,” the statement said. “What happened here is a tragedy, and Ms. Momeni is deeply saddened at the suffering of the Lee family as they deal with their terrible loss.”
Lee’s wife Krista, with whom he was separated, told the Journal that he was not a “party boy” and she had never heard the term “The Lifestyle.”
“He was kind and generous — he saw the good in everybody,” Krista Lee said.
Police arrested Nima on April 13 on murder charges for the fatal stabbing of Lee and is being held without bail until his arraignment. He plans to plead not guilty, according to his attorneys.
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