Eric Gillespie, founder of defense contractor Govini, walked free Thursday after posting a $1 million bond on felony charges involving alleged contact with minors. The release comes as Pentagon officials continue investigating potential security risks tied to Gillespie's access to classified defense systems worth nearly $1 billion in contracts. With his passport revoked and travel banned, the case threatens to upend one of the military's key AI suppliers.
Govini founder Eric Gillespie is free on $1 million bond, but his legal troubles are far from over. The 57-year-old defense contractor walked out of a Pennsylvania courtroom Thursday after initially being denied bail following his November 7 arrest on four felony charges.
The charges stem from what prosecutors describe as graphic online communications with an undercover agent posing as a father offering his daughter for abuse. According to Pennsylvania Attorney General's office filings, Gillespie sent explicit photos and made detailed comments about sexual acts with children during encrypted chats.
Gillespie's defense attorney David Shrager maintains his client "has never contacted a minor, either online or in person." Shrager argues the conversations involved "artificial intelligence between adults made in the context of an online fantasy chat" - a defense that highlights how AI technology is increasingly complicating criminal cases. The next court date is set for December 18.
But the criminal charges are just one piece of a larger security puzzle that has the Pentagon scrambling. Govini landed a massive $919 million contract with the Department of Defense earlier this year, positioning the company as a critical supplier of AI-enabled applications used across every branch of the U.S. military.
The timing couldn't be worse for the defense industry. As military leaders push to integrate more AI capabilities into operations, contractor security clearances have become a flashpoint. Gillespie's access to classified systems and sensitive defense data is now under intense scrutiny, with Pentagon officials confirming they're conducting an "ongoing investigation" into potential security risks.
Govini moved quickly to distance itself from its founder, terminating Gillespie on November 12 - five days after his arrest became public. The company had already quietly removed him from its leadership page by August, according to archived versions of the website, suggesting internal concerns may have predated the criminal charges.
