Before imposing the sentence, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Alexandra Gordon denied Momeni's motion for a new trial. Defense attorneys have indicated they will appeal the conviction.

A jury in December 2024 found Momeni guilty of second-degree murder, rejecting his claim that he acted in self-defense. He has been held in custody since his arrest nine days after the April 4, 2023, killing.

Members of Lee's family addressed the court, including his 18-year-old daughter, Scout Lee, who spoke directly to Momeni.

"You did not just end his life; you ended an entire future built around a man," she said, according to media reports.

Momeni, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, maintained that he acted in self-defense and told Lee's family he understood their loss.

"Unfortunately, we have completely different understandings of what transpired," Momeni said.

According to police, Lee and Momeni knew each other and had argued over Momeni's sister. Prosecutors alleged that Momeni planned the attack, driving Lee to an isolated spot under the Bay Bridge and stabbing him three times, including once in the heart, with a knife taken from his sister's kitchen. They said Momeni was angry with Lee for introducing his younger sister to a drug dealer who she says gave her GHB and other drugs and then sexually assaulted her.

Body camera video showed Lee walking along San Francisco's Main Street in the early morning hours before collapsing near a residential building. He died from his injuries after calling 911; the call was presented during the trial.

Momeni testified that Lee attacked him with a knife after Momeni chided him about spending more time with his family instead of searching for a strip club that night. Momeni, who studies martial arts, said he did not realize he had fatally wounded Lee or that Lee was hurt.

Jurors rejected a first-degree murder charge, which would have required prosecutors to prove Momeni acted deliberately, willfully and with premeditation. Second-degree murder does not require premeditation.

Lee created the mobile payment service Cash App and was chief product officer of the cryptocurrency MobileCoin when he died. He had recently moved to Miami from the San Francisco Bay Area, where his ex-wife, Krista Lee, lives with their two children, and had returned to California for a visit.

The sentencing had been delayed until Tuesday due to the appeals process.