Govini founder Eric Gillespie encouraged a man he believed to be a father who sexually abused his 10-year-old daughter to use an encrypted chat platform, a Pennsylvania criminal complaint alleges.
“Signal is safer for small talk,” Gillespie wrote to her alleged father, who was actually a secret agent, according to a transcript of the conversation included in a criminal complaint obtained by CNBC.
Gillespie then wrote that Session, another commonly used end-to-end encryption platform, was “better but less secure” than Signal, the filing states.
While chatting in sessions, he sent the agent multiple photos of his “recent playmates” in diapers and made repeated graphic references to having sex with children, according to court documents.
Gillespie also writes that he prefers young children, “best when they can’t talk.”
Charging documents state that agents were unable to obtain screenshots of media files sent by Gillespie because users can delete media and messages sent in a session.
The conversation with the investigator began in an online forum commonly used by people trying to arrange visitation with children, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said.
The men took the discussion to a session and announced last week that Gillespie had been arrested and charged with four felonies, including unlawful sexual contact with a minor, the AG’s office said.
He is being held without bond.
His arrest comes at a critical time for defense contractor Gobini, a key player in the U.S. military’s modernization drive.
Gillespie’s lawyer, David Schrager of the Schrager Attorney’s Office, told CNBC that Gillespie “categorically denies these charges.”
“In this case, two adults lied to each other in a fantasy internet chat, and at least one of the participants used AI,” Schrager said.
The criminal complaint states that at one point during the conversation, the agent sent a “photo media file of an undercover female agent whose age had been regressed using AI technology to appear to be approximately 10 years old.”
This is the only mention of the use of artificial intelligence in the complaint.
“When you hear about these types of charges, it’s easy to understand why people rush to judgment,” Schrager told CNBC.
His attorney said he believed Mr. Gillespie would be proven innocent.
Mr. Gillespie is scheduled to appear Thursday for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate District Judge John Ditzler in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
Last week, Gobini called Gillespie a “corrupt individual” in a statement announcing his removal as executive chairman of the company’s board.
Gobini said Gillespie “has no role in the company and is not a major shareholder.”
“As he has been terminated, he will not be paid,” the company said.
The company did not disclose the current level of Gillespie’s stake in Govini.
Earlier this year, Govini signed a nearly $1 billion contract with the Department of Defense to join the Army’s Next Generation Command and Control program.
In October, Govini announced a $150 million investment from Bain Capital.
Bain declined to comment on Gillespie’s arrest.
Mr. Gillespie was quoted prominently in news releases about Bain’s investments.
“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 said at the time. “Through the systematic development of our proprietary technology, that vision has become a reality.”
Accel and Salesforce Ventures are also major investors in Govini. Neither company responded to requests for comment.
People who knew Mr. Govini well and had personal contact with Mr. Gillespie said he played an active role at the company. Documents and text messages reviewed by CNBC support that claim.
A person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to discuss internal communications, said Mr. Gillespie was at the center of important financial transactions.
“Mr. Gillespie had opinions and ideas and was not hesitant to share them,” Gobini said in a statement responding to questions about his day-to-day involvement at the company.
“In his capacity as executive chairman, he was aware of and consulted with management’s operations,” the company said.
Pentagon officials said last week they were investigating Gillespie’s arrest and possible security concerns.
CNBC asked the department whether it is considering possible action related to the company’s status as a government contractor.
“While the Department of Defense cannot comment on individual security clearances under privacy laws, we take these allegations very seriously,” a senior Pentagon official said in a statement.
