Nima Momeni: Accused killer of Cash App founder Bob Lee battled drug addiction and childhood trauma, say friends

2023-05-13 07:50

'He expressed extreme hate for his dad, I definitely think that that created a monster,' says Nima Momeni's ex-girlfriend Alex Pourshayegan

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Nima Momeni, a tech executive accused of murdering Cash App founder Bob Lee was brewing unaddressed anger and frustration for a long time. According to his friends, the man was battling drug addiction and childhood trauma that wasn’t dealt with ever. “A massive drug problem that made him unable to reason and speak,” claimed his former pals and girlfriends, who didn’t want to be named led to his unraveling before the attack of the Iranian native.

“This is one of those things where [we’d say], 'Nima, you’re cool, we love you, but you don’t make full sentences',” one friend remembered. A girlfriend from several years ago recalled Momeni was deep into drugs, using cocaine every day. “That’s all he — he didn’t even go one day without that,” she told Mission Local. However, a one-time close friend of Momeni, Laurin Leske, countered that he never saw “anything more than the regular Bay Area executive sort” of drug use.

Cash App founder Bob Lee died on operating table after medics stapled his heart

'A kind person, who tries to be helpful to his loved ones'

Another friend added “Still, Momeni’s alleged drug habit seemed bad enough that his once-promising IT firm, Expand IT, deteriorated into a 'hilarious s*** show'.” He couldn’t keep [employees] and not end up chewing them out for something they didn’t know — I saw it as mostly his fault.” Momeni’s attorney Paula Canny denied allegations of drug abuse or addiction, “None of the people who say these bad things about Nima are identified. So that always gives me cause for concern. That’s disturbing to me,” she told The New York Post on Friday, May 12. “The people that I’ve reached out to have been universally positive about Nima … What I’m told is that Nima is a nice person, a kind person, who tries to be helpful to his loved ones.”

'...that created a monster'

Another ex-girlfriend alleged that his partner had unresolved issues with his father, “He expressed extreme hate for his dad.” She added that his father was physically abusive, “I definitely think that that created a monster.” “[He bought] nice cars, nice toys, a boat, a motorcycle, all the toys that a young man wants,” said Alex Pourshayegan, who knew Momeni from his teen years. “He wanted to buy a ranch because he loved country living. He’s a city boy with a country heart,” she said.