A leader of a company that is gaining traction as a data and artificial intelligence provider to the Defense Department has been arrested for allegedly soliciting an underage girl for sex.
Eric T. Gillespie, the founder and chairman of Govini, has been charged in connection with a sting operation conducted by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office and the Lebanon County, Pennsylvania district attorney’s office. A law enforcement agent, posing as a preteen girl, allegedly interacted with Gillespie through online chat, during which he attempted to arrange a meeting.
On Monday, Gillespie was charged with four felony counts and is currently being held without bail at a Lebanon County jail. The charges emerge as Govini has been expanding its defense sector and securing new private equity investments.
Upon learning of the charges, Govini placed Gillespie on administrative leave. The company issued a statement stating, “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.” The company is led by CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty, who did not respond to further comment requests.
Founded in 2011, Govini initially operated as a data provider to help companies track federal contract awards and procurements. Over time, it evolved into a software provider for government agencies, offering tools to assist in managing acquisition processes.
Govini reports an annual revenue of $100 million and recently attracted a $150 million investment from Bain Capital, announced in October 2023. This funding is intended for enhancing Govini’s offerings, including its Ark AI application, and for hiring additional tech practitioners. Gillespie had commented on the Bain investment, stating, “This investment validates not just the current position achieved by our incredibly talented team, but also our long-term goal of fundamentally rewiring how defense and national security communities make decisions with AI and data.”
