Mugshot of Govini founder and chairman Eric Gillespie.
Provided by: Pennsylvania Attorney General
Govini founder Eric Gillespie, who was charged with four felonies, including multiple counts of unlawful contact with a minor, has been released on bail.
Gillespie, who lives in Pittsburgh, was released on $1 million bail after appearing in court Thursday. He was not allowed to travel and his passport was revoked.
He was initially denied bail after his arrest on November 7, with a judge citing flight risk and public safety concerns.
David Schrager of Schrager’s attorney, who is representing Gillespie, argued that his client did not violate any laws.
“Mr. Gillespie has never had any contact with minors, either online or in person, and the facts clearly prove that,” Schrager said after Thursday’s hearing.
“Outright false statements, including the use of artificial intelligence between adults, made in the context of online fantasy chats are not illegal,” he added.
Gillespie’s next court date is Dec. 18.
According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Gillespie posed as the father and sent investigators lewd photos, offered to molest his daughter and made graphic comments about having sex with children.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by CNBC, Gillespie, 57, made comments about the security of the encrypted platform used in his chats with undercover agents.
Mr. Gillespie is the founder of defense contractor Govigny.
He was listed as an executive on the company’s website’s leadership page on Aug. 17, according to an archived version of the page available on Wayback Machine.
The company fired Gillespie on November 12th.
Earlier this year, Mr. Gobini signed a nearly $1 billion contract with the Department of Defense. The company’s suite of artificial intelligence-enabled applications is used by all branches of the U.S. military and other federal agencies.
After his arrest, Pentagon officials said they were investigating Gillespie and possible security concerns.
CNBC has repeatedly asked the Pentagon for updates on the investigation and potential security concerns for Mr. Govigny and Mr. Gillespie.
A Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday: “We do not comment on ongoing investigations.”
