The founder and executive chairman of Govini, a software firm with deep Pentagon ties, has been arrested and charged with soliciting sexual contact with a preteen girl, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office.

Eric Gillespie, 57, of Pittsburgh, allegedly tried to arrange a meeting with a young girl through an online chat platform often used by sex offenders, authorities said. An undercover agent posing as an adult intercepted Gillespie’s messages.

“Our Child Predator Section proactively uncovered this defendant who, under an online pseudonym, was lurking online to access children,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “During the investigation, Gillespie alluded to methods he accessed children, and other evidence was found regarding contact with children,” the office said in a statement.

Gillespie was denied bail, with a judge citing flight risk and public safety concerns. He faces four felony counts, including multiple charges of unlawful contact with a minor.

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A company spokesperson told Fox News Digital of the charges: “On November 10, 2025, the company was notified of felony charges against Eric Gillespie. As soon as we learned of these charges, we took immediate action to place Mr. Gillespie on administrative leave. The Company will fully cooperate with law enforcement in connection with their investigation.  We acknowledge the severity of these charges and as a Company will hold all our employees to the highest ethical standards. We stand steadfast in support of all victims of abuse of any kind.”

Govini develops artificial-intelligence software used by the Pentagon and other agencies to analyze large volumes of government and commercial data, including defense budgets, industrial-base capacity, supply chains, and acquisition programs.

The company has landed major federal contracts in recent years, including a five-year, $400 million Pentagon contract in 2019 and a 10-year agreement valued at $919 million announced in April 2025 with the Defense Department and General Services Administration to build a supply-chain risk platform.

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Earlier this month, Govini said it surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue and secured a $150 million growth investment, according to a news release by the company.

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“I founded Govini to create an entirely new category of software built to transform how the U.S. government uses AI and data to make decisions,” Gillespie had said in that release.

The firm describes itself as “trusted by every department of the U.S. military” and says its flagship analytics platform supports defense acquisition, supply-chain and modernization work.