Nima Momeni, the man charged with murder in the April stabbing death of tech executive Bob Lee in San Francisco, has new attorneys after his first lawyer withdrew from the case Tuesday as Momeni's preliminary court hearing was set to start.
Attorney Paula Canny said she withdrew because of a conflict of interest and was “saddened and relieved” to be off the case.
Momeni's new attorneys are Saam Zangeneh and Bradford Cohen. Zangeneh said the Momeni family reached out to him. Both attorneys are based in Florida.
Zangeneh said Tuesday he couldn't speak about the case because he is yet to review the documents and grasp the facts. Momeni's next court appearance is set for June 13.
Zangeneh's Instagram profile describes him as a criminal defense attorney with offices in Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico. "Protecting clients in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 100% Persian."
Zangeneh made headlines by representing rapper Pooh Shiesty in an alleged shooting case in Miami in 2021.
Momeni was arrested at his Emeryville loft nine days after Lee's April 4 stabbing and remains in custody. In a court appearance earlier in May, Momeni pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said Lee, the 43-year-old founder of Cash App, and Momeni, an IT consultant, argued over Momeni's sister, Khazar, hours before the pair drove to a location near Main and Harrison streets, where prosecutors allege the suspect stabbed Lee with a kitchen knife.
Canny is a well-known Bay Area defense attorney who represented Barry Bonds’ training partner, Greg Anderson, when he refused to testify against the baseball player in a case related to performance-enhancing drugs. Canny also represented the wife of former San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi in his domestic violence case.
Zangeneh is not licensed to practice law in California. Attorneys who are not licensed in the State of California but are licensed in another state can request to represent a defendant in a single case such as Momeni's.
This is a developing story.