The man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee was investigated by police nearly two decades ago for stabbing two teenagers.
Nima Momeni, 38, a tech entrepreneur, has never been charged with the alleged lacerations, which police said at the time was a possible “dispute over drugs.”
According to the SF Chroniclea then 20-year-old Momeni stabbed a 19-year-old and a 16-year-old in 2005, inflicting only minor injuries.
A witness claimed that the younger victim attacked Momeni first, and the Albany Police Department named him both suspect and victim in their report of the incident.
Momeni was cited for possible charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, possession of drugs and possession of drugs with intent to sell, but prosecutors declined to press charges.
Nima Momeni allegedly stabbed two teenagers in 2005. He is pictured in court on May 2, 2023
Momeni allegedly stabbed the teens as a 20-year-old. He is pictured in his Albany High School yearbook photo
The 38-year-old is charged with the April 4 murder of tech rival Bob Lee on the streets of San Francisco.
Prosecutors allege he got into a heated dispute with Lee over his relationship with Momeni’s sister, whom Lee had visited earlier in the evening.
Prosecutors argued that he vowed to “put down hard” Lee over his relationship with his married sister before stabbing him in the heart with a kitchen knife.
He’s about to face a murder trial for the murder, but legal experts say his past run-in with the law as a 20-year-old could be an “interesting development.”
Due to the long time since the alleged stabbings and a lack of evidence that initially caused the case to be dropped, coupled with the lack of a conviction, it is unlikely to have any legal standing.
But if Momeni testified in court, the incident could be used by prosecutors to question his character and paint him as a dangerous person.
“The prosecution will be hawkish for a chance to bring it in,” Tom Kensok, a former prosecutor, told the SF Chronicle.
“It’s something the prosecution will try to investigate and develop.”
Lee, a father of two, was killed in the early hours of April 4 after being stabbed in the heart
The timeline of events leading up to the alleged murder of the Cash App founder
Momeni is due back in court on June 13, having previously pleaded not guilty to the murders.
His final appearance before a judge resulted in the accused killer parting ways with his defense team, which were replaced by attorneys Saam Zangeneh and Bradford Cohen.
In an interview with DailyMail.com, Zangeneh said Momeni was “excited” to have them on board as he tries to fight the murder charges against him.
“He’s excited that we’re getting to work,” he added.
Police have surveillance footage showing Momeni luring Lee, a prominent, well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur, into his car and then down a dark side street in San Francisco before stabbing him to death.
Prosecutors say he was furious about his sister’s friendship with Lee.
Text messages revealed a close friendship between the pair, and some of Lee’s friends thought they might be in a romantic relationship.
Lee and Momeni’s sister Khazar Elyassnia reportedly partied together the night of his murder. She is pictured with her husband Dr. Dino Elyassnia
Shocking surveillance footage captured Bob Lee’s painful last moments after being stabbed in the heart.
The entrepreneur was filmed staggering through the streets of San Francisco begging for help while leaving a trail of blood behind.
He was seen lifting his shirt to reveal the fatal wound to an unnamed driver, who heartlessly drove away from Lee before collapsing in the street.
After Lee was rushed to hospital by paramedics, they desperately tried in vain to save his life, including stapling closed wounds to his heart during a four-hour battle.
The entrepreneur was pronounced dead on the operating table and a coroner’s report showed he had ketamine, cocaine and alcohol in his system.