The sister of a man accused of killing tech entrepreneur Bob Lee has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and a hit-and-run.
Khazar Elyassnia, 38, was identified as the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash on Monday by the San Francisco Police Department.
Officers were called to the incident at Geary and Larkin streets on the edge of the Tenderloin at around 11am where they located her along with witnesses.
Elyassnia was booked into San Francisco County Jail and charged with driving under the influence, two counts of a hit-and-run, failure to drive within the lane and failure to provide insurance at the scene of an accident.
Her brother Nima Momeni is accused of stabbing Cash App founder Lee, 43, in the heart with a four-inch black blade kitchen knife. Prosecutors believe he killed Lee after quizzing him about his alleged sexual relationship with his married sister.
Khazar Elyassnia, the sister of a man accused of killing tech entrepreneur Bob Lee, has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and a hit-and-run
Her brother Nima Momeni is accused of stabbing Cash App founder Lee, 43, in the heart with a four-inch black blade kitchen knife
Prosecutors believe he killed Lee after quizzing him about his alleged sexual relationship with his married sister
San Francisco police officers identified Elyassnia as the driver and conducted a sobriety test and determined she was driving under the influence.
‘On November 27, 2023 at approximately 11.08am, San Francisco Police Officers responded to Geary St and Larkin St on a report of a vehicle collision,’ a police statement read.
‘Upon arrival, Officers located the involved driver and witnesses.
‘Officers conducted traffic collision investigation. In the course of their investigation, officers developed probable cause to determine that the driver of the vehicle was driving under the influence.
‘The driver, identified as 38 year old San Francisco resident Khazar Momeni, was booked at San Francisco County Jail.’
It is not clear if Elyassnia, who is married to prominent plastic surgeon Dr Dino Elyassnia, has been released on bail.
She has regularly supported her brother in court since his arrest on April 13. Momeni has pleaded not guilty to killing Lee and faces 26 years to life if convicted.
His arrest came more than a week after Lee was found bleeding in the early morning hours of April 4. He later died at a hospital.
Surveillance video of Lee’s final night shows him entering the posh Millennium Tower downtown, where Momeni´s sister lives with her husband, a prominent San Francisco plastic surgeon.
Video footage then shows Lee and Momeni leaving the building together shortly after 2am and driving off in Momeni’s car.
Lee was found shortly after 2:30am in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, which has tech offices and condominiums but little activity in the early morning hours.
Elyassnia was identified as the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash on Monday by the San Francisco Police Department. Pictured: Elyassnia leaving court after her brother’s hearing in October
She was booked into San Francisco County Jail and charged with driving under the influence, two counts of a hit-and-run, failure to drive within the lane and failure to provide insurance at the scene of an accident
Elyassnia supported her accused brother Momeni, along with several other relatives during a court hearing at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco in October.
She wore an all black outfit, including large black sunglasses, and flashed a huge wedding ring as she paused briefly on the steps outside court.
Lee and Elyassnia are are alleged to have been part of an underground scene of drugs and casual sex – she could appear as a witness at the trial.
Momeni was denied bail on October 2, with the judge rejecting the defense argument that he presented no danger to society because he was, at worst, an inept killer.
Lawyer Saam Zangeneh, representing Momeni, argued that his client was not the cold-blooded, premeditated killer depicted by prosecutors.
Judge Bruce Chan rejected his application to be released on $1 million bail in the April killing of the Cash App founder.
The trial could also hear from a drug dealer, Jeremy Boivin, who allegedly sold drugs to Elyassnia the day before Lee’s murder.
Prosecutors claim Momeni killed Lee following a dispute about the alleged relationship with Elyassnia. Brass said Elyassnia’s husband could also be called as a witness.
Lee’s family were in court in San Francisco for an earlier hearing in July which included testimony from a police officer who detailed how he attempted to resuscitate him as he lay dying from stab wounds.
The account was part of evidence being formally introduced in the case by Assistant District Attorney Omid Talai and included photos of a knife prosecutors say Momeni used to stab Lee.
Lawyer Saam Zangeneh, representing Momeni, argued that his client was not the cold-blooded, premeditated killer depicted by prosecutors
Momeni, wearing orange jail fatigues, whispered, and waved to his sister Khazar Elyassni and mother Mahnaz Momeni, who were sitting about 20 feet behind him in the courtroom in the Hall of Justice in San Francisco
San Francisco police officer Cedric Hood was one of two officers who attempted to save Lee’s life after he was found bleeding on Main Street in the early hours of April 4.
SFPD Officer Hood explained how he found a silver knife with a black handle inside a locked parking lot.
Investigators later found it to be a 4-inch, Joseph Joseph brand kitchen knife.
While he was on the scene, a homeless man was found to be sleeping some 40 feet away from where Lee collapsed.
The man was resting close to some garbage cans and was also questioned by police at the scene – but he made little sense when officers spoke to him.
Crime scene investigator Rosalyn Check also described how Lee had left a trail of blood following the fatal stabbing.
Drops of blood stretched all the way from the parking lot along Main Street, right outside to the Portside apartment complex in which Lee was later seen in video footage desperately banging on the doors as he searched for help.
Blood was found on the side of the apartment block and also on a phone box directly outside, which Lee had also tried to use, reports The Standard.
Assistant DA Talai also showed other pieces of evidence including the trail of blood left by Lee as he staggered for help.
He also showed video footage that showed Lee and Momeni leave his sister’s condo building before the stabbing took place.
The Portside on Main Street, San Francisco where Cash App founder Bob Lee collapsed and died after being fatally stabbed on April 4th
Lee was later seen in video footage desperately banging on the doors to an apartment complex as he searched for help
District Attorney Talai said previously explained during a May hearing that the knife was part of a unique kitchen set belonging to Momeni’s sister and that analysis showed Momeni’s DNA on the weapon’s handle and Lee’s DNA on the bloody blade.
Attorneys for Momeni said in court that the two men had a cordial relationship and Momeni had no reason to kill him.
The comments from Momeni’s lawyers came during a preliminary hearing, where the prosecution presents its evidence and a judge decides if there is enough to move ahead to trial.
Prosecutors have said that Momeni, 38, planned the April 4 attack that left Lee dying on a desolate San Francisco street.
Lee created Cash App, a mobile payment service, and was the chief product officer of the cryptocurrency MobileCoin.
Momeni is expected to appear back in court on Thursday.