Inside ‘The Lifestyle’ that Cash App founder Bob Lee, 43, and his alleged killer’s sister were a part of that included ‘underground sex and drug parties’: ‘There are a lot of swingers, cheaters and liars in that crowd’
- Bob Lee’s death exposed the antics of the upper echelons of Bay Area society
- The crowd of affluent San Francisco partygoers who attended the debauched events knew the circle as ‘The Lifestyle’
Bob Lee’s death has exposed the antics of the upper echelons of Bay Area society – where members’ sexual partners often crossed over during cocaine-fueled lascivious parties.
Tech exec Nima Momeni, 38, is accused of stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee, 43, in the heart with a four-inch black blade kitchen knife after quizzing him about his alleged casual, sexual relationship with his married party-girl sister.
Momeni and Lee also allegedly slept with the same woman, it’s now emerged.
Lee and Momeni’s sister were part of the crowd of affluent San Francisco partygoers known as ‘The Lifestyle’ who attended debauched events where swingers and cheaters would gather for casual, drug-fueled sex.
Speaking to a series of insiders who knew Lee and partied among members of The Lifestyle, Wall Street Journal has painted a picture of the fringed, underground scene Lee was a part of before his death on April 4.
Lee, who was known for being creative, adventurous and loyal to his friends, started to change in the months before his death, according to friends speaking to WSJ.
He was allegedly ‘getting in over his head’ due to ‘The Lifestyle’ circles that he got himself into.
Dana Wagner, the former general counsel of payments company Square, revealed: ‘He was also hanging out with people who weren’t great people, and that was part of what happened in the end.
‘There are a lot of swingers, cheaters and liars in that crowd.’
But the people within The Lifestyle were also known for being incredibly talented, smart people – seeking something new because there’s ‘not much in our world for them to do.’
Lee’s friend Devon Meyers described the crowd that Lee would frequent with as: ‘Highly functioning, very intelligent people, incredibly talented, and there’s not much in our world for them to do.’
According to WSJ, Lee, who was separated from his wife, would often sleep with multiple women, including Khazar Momeni, the sister of his alleged killer.
It was at one of these parties on April 3, when Nima — who sources say was a recluse, often standing in the corner — confronted Lee.
Nima was allegedly more quiet, and stood on the sidelines watching others indulge in excess – including his wealthy and glamorous sister, who engaged in the fun.
Despite the ambiance of the parties, there were still boundaries within the community, according to insiders speaking to WSJ.
Meyers, a friend of Lee: ‘There is still an understanding of consent and boundaries.’ If someone crosses the line, getting too drunk and feely with others, ‘they get excommunicated very quickly.’
The groups of people involved in The Lifestyle in San Francisco did more than just engage in lusty sexual experiences with different partners. Instead, the term loosely described the underground, countercultural party scene in the city.
It used to be for hippies – but when wealthy men and women in the tech sector became more and more involved, it was ‘gentrified’ and the so-called clientele became less ‘playful’ and more ‘rough around the edges,’ WSJ reports.
Alongside his involvement in the underground scene, Lee was also known for splashing the cash he earned in the lucrative tech industry – which sometimes meant he could be naïve and trusting of people who didn’t deserve it.
According to friends and former lovers, he bought a Tesla for a woman he was seeing, took friends on all-expenses-paid trips to Tulum, Mexico on a whim, and would fork the bill for Ubers and meals for those he loved.
When one of his ex girlfriend’s iPhone was stolen during a trip, Lee hired someone to secure a new one for her.
He was known for having a circle of around 20 close friends – whom he would attend all-night raves with across the world.
Lee would allegedly take ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine during the benders, and also jumped at the opportunity for fun and frivolousness, according to those who knew him.
One time, at a nightclub where a discounted $5 entrance was set for people who went in with no pants, Lee obliged and went in wearing his underwear.
He was known for having several girlfriends at the same time – as well as a handful of other women that he would sleep with.
But Lee would always be respectful towards them, his friends said.
Lee was attracted to the underground lifestyle scene, because he was someone who loved new experiences and bonding with people from all walks of life.
Lee’s wife, who he was separated from, disputed that Lee was a ‘party boy’ – and said that she had never heard of ‘The Lifestyle.’
She admitted that he would microdose ketamine as a treatment for depression, but apart from that, Ms Lee described him as a ‘dedicated, mature father.’
But Lee was found with a cocktail of drugs in his system when he died, including cocaine and ketamine.
Friends of Lee said he told them that he was casually sleeping with Khazar Momeni, 37, another San Fran elite who frequented the parties Lee attended, before he was killed.
Before that, about three years ago, Lee, 43, was also with a woman that Mr Momeni, 38, had previously dated, according to WSJ.
Momeni has been described as insecure about the women he saw and dated – and gave the allure that didn’t want other men stealing them.
According to one of Momeni’s ex girlfriends, he was problematic: ‘He was not nice behind closed doors,’ she told Mission Local. ‘Called me probably the worst names I’ve ever been called.’
She also said he would be threatening and possessive and did not like when spoke to other men. She suspected he would eventually physically abuse her.
In fact, police records show, he did become physically abusive, allegedly pushing a woman at his California home in August 2022.
‘I honestly think that he’s scary, and I always thought he was scary – after I got to know him,’ the ex-girlfriend said.
‘She believes that he may be bipolar, because one minute he will be fine and the next he will go off for no reason,’ a police report said as he was cited by never charged with battery.
Others have described him as a ‘boundary pusher,’ with one source accusing him of having ‘snatched me by the hair after I said not to.’
Another review corroborated his cocaine use and called him ‘heavily armed,’ with others accusing him of owning ghost guns, the outlet reported.
‘He loved his guns. He talked about his guns all the time,’ said another former ex-girlfriend of Momeni, who also said he kept many knives. ‘He was a fan of violence.’
When one of his girlfriends eventually broke up with him, she later starting seeing Lee.
It has also emerged that the San Francisco condo where Lee and his alleged killer met at a party on April 3 was owned by a man who was previously criminally charged with drugging and sexually assaulting an individual.
Jeremy Boivin also had charges surrounding the possession for sale illegal party drugs including ketamine and MDMA.
At the party, Momeni confronted Lee and asked if his sister was doing drugs or ‘anything inappropriate.’ According to a witness, Lee told Momeni that nothing inappropriate had happened.
Authorities now say that Nima and Lee met up again later that night at Khazar’s luxury apartment in Millennium Tower.
Surveillance footage showed the two getting into Nima’s white BMW at around 2am on April 4 and leave the scene.
He is believed to have drove Lee to a secluded area several streets over, where he stabbed the Cash app founder multiple times with a kitchen knife.
Nima then allegedly left Lee to bleed out in the middle of the street.
Lee was seen stumbling and was begging for help that night before collapsing near the Bay Bridge, just 16 minutes from Khazar’s apartment.
Police have said Khazar was texting Lee around the time he died.
‘Just wanted to make sure your doing ok Cause I know nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you,’ she wrote in one of these messages.
‘And thank you for being such a class man handling it with class. Love you Selfish p****s.’
Khazar has previously showed up to court with her plastic surgeon husband, Dr. Dino Elyassnia, wearing designer sunglasses. She and her brother immigrated to the US from Iran as children.
