Eric Gillespie, Pittsburgh founder of defense software firm Govini, is out on bail after being charged with multiple felonies and removed from the company’s board of directors.
Gillespie was charged with three counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of criminal use of a communication facility earlier this month after he allegedly attempted to solicit sexual contact with a preteen girl in Lebanon County through an online chat platform.
During the investigation, Gillespie reportedly alluded to methods he used to interact with children, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said other evidence was found regarding contact with children.
“Our Child Predator Section proactively uncovered this defendant who, under an online pseudonym, was lurking online to access children,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “This case is yet another example of the dangers that exist online in anonymous chat platforms and other communication venues.”
Gillespie’s lawyer says he never contacted a minor and that the conversation he had with an agent on the chat platform was “between adults made in the context of an online fantasy chat.”
Gillespie posted a $1 million bond after initially being denied bail. His next court date is set for Dec. 18. Govini has contracts with the federal government, and Pentagon officials told CNBC they’re also actively investigating Gillespie over possible security concerns.
Govini, which has a corporate office in Lawrenceville, quickly moved to remove affiliations with Gillespie from its website. Two days after the Attorney General’s Office announced the charges, the company confirmed Gillespie’s dismissal from the board.
“Mr. Gillespie stepped down from the role of CEO almost a decade ago and had no access to classified information,” a statement released by the company said. “Govini is an organization that has been built by over 250 people who share a profound commitment to America’s national security, including veterans, reservists and people who have dedicated their lives to causes greater than themselves. The actions of one depraved individual should not in any way diminish the hard work of the broader team and their commitment to the security of the United States of America.”
With nearly $1 billion in defense contracts, Govini became a unicorn company and secured a $150 million growth investment from Bain Capital earlier this year.
