UG Solutions is one of several private American security companies hired to oversee the complex humanitarian aid operation in the Gaza Strip. Its role is to secure the distribution of aid to the embattled enclave’s 2 million or so Palestinian residents. Like other companies involved in the aid program, UG Solutions operates under a veil of secrecy regarding its ownership and sources of funding. 

A Shomrim investigation can now reveal that the registered owner of the company, Jameson Govoni, was arrested in April over his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run accident and was subsequently released on bond. The investigation also reveals that, in addition to his involvement in private security operations, Govoni founded a humanitarian aid organization, and at least six other companies which are registered to the same North Carolina post office box used by UG Solutions. Another company linked to Govoni, which sells a so-called hangover prevention beverage, operates from a different post office box. Several of these companies were registered by Govoni only in recent months.

According to various reports in Israeli and international media, UG Solutions is a subcontractor for another American company operating in Gaza: Safe Reach Solutions (SRS). SRS is responsible for overall security when it comes to the humanitarian aid effort in Gaza, including identifying potential threats using cameras and security logistics, while UG operates on the ground and interacts with Gazans.

In response to a question submitted by Shomrim, a spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is responsible for the overall aid operation, said that SRS coordinates its activities in the Gaza Strip with UG Solutions. The GHF spokesperson described UG as “a globally trusted provider of integrated security solutions.”

The start: An NGO to rescue Americans from Gaza

Govoni, a 38-year-old resident of North Carolina, served 11 years in the U.S. Army, including deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Colombia, as part of the elite Green Berets. It remains unclear how UG Solutions initially secured security contracts, but its involvement in Gaza goes back to the early days of the war, through its involvement with the Sentinels Foundation. In 2019, Govoni co-founded the Sentinels Foundation with fellow American Glenn Devitt, stating its mission as combating child exploitation.

The foundation, which had an annual budget of more than $3 million in 2023, previously operated in Afghanistan and Ukraine. In November 2023, the Sentinels Foundation announced that it was also helping American citizens leave the Gaza Strip, and it subsequently published social media posts thanking Republican senators Markwayne Mullin and Lindsey Graham – two close political allies of U.S. President Donald Trump. Mullin and Graham did not respond to Shomrim’s requests for comment.

Around a year later, in January 2025, Govoni’s team returned to Gaza – this time as part of a commercial venture, rather than a philanthropic one. UG Solutions, along with SRS, was chosen to oversee the inspection of Palestinian vehicles in the Netzarim Corridor during the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. When Israel decided to end that cease-fire, the American security companies’ operations in Gaza were suspended; they were resumed in late May, when the GHF began distributing humanitarian aid. This time, UG’s role is to secure the four main food distributions across the Gaza Strip.

Recruitment ads reveal that UG is seeking to hire former members of elite military units, including with special training as snipers. The LinkedIn profiles of some of the company’s current employees show that several previously worked for firms in other conflict zones, such as Triple Canopy, which was linked to several legal scandals in Iraq. Other employees previously worked as security guards for billionaires such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and politicians like Barack Obama. Potential recruits are offered a salary of around $1,000 a day.

Hit-and-run arrest and a web of companies

In April this year, at a particularly sensitive time for his company’s activities in Gaza, Govoni ran into legal issues. According to the Mecklenburg County North Carolina sheriff’s department, Govoni was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a hit-and-run incident. In the United States, hit-and-run accidents also include damage to property – as in Govoni’s case – and not just physical injury. Govoni was released on $50,000 bond. According to court documents, Govoni ignored law enforcement’s orders to pull over after the accident and tried to escape at speeds that the prosecution described as “reckless and irresponsible.” He was eventually arrested at home. A spokesperson for UG Solutions refused to answer questions about the arrest or whether the bond would have any impact on Govoni’s ability to travel outside the United States.

UG Solutions’ operation in Gaza is just one chapter in Govoni’s diverse career. Since the end of his military career, he has set up a long list of companies. One of them was called Alcohol Armor, which sells a beverage that it claims prevents hangovers. The company website invites potential customers to “discover the key to waking up revitalized and primed to conquer the day, regardless of last night’s adventures.” The website describes how Govoni and Devitt invented the beverage when looking for “a solution to waking up not affected by drinking the night before” during their army days. Another of Govoni’s companies also registered a trademark for a CBD-infused energy drink.

The first official mention of Govoni’s involvement in the security industry is through a company called Skillset Corporation, which was established in 2016. The company’s website is dormant, but a previous version of the site describes it as “a multifaceted and dynamic provider of government and commercial services including Surveillance Detection and Counter Surveillance, Corporate Security, Exercise Development and Implementation, Role Player and Opposition Support, Cyber Solutions, and more.”

UG Solutions itself was set up before the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, in March 2023. Its registered address is based at the branch of a U.S. Postal Service in Davidson, North Carolina. The company also recently completed a dual registration in Florida, which appears to allow it to enjoy a lower rate of state taxes. Govoni registered three more companies using the same address in Davidson just three months ago: UG Holdings, UG Advanced Protection and UG Technologies. In June, Govoni also registered UG Swamp at the same address. The exact roles of these firms remain unclear.

Govoni did not limit himself to setting up new companies, however, and also recently registered a nonprofit called Global Relief Alliance, which appears to have been established precisely to meet the needs of the new humanitarian effort in Gaza. The organization’s website is not yet active, but according to the nonprofit’s registration documents, it will deploy emergency relief teams in disaster and conflict zones and provide food, water, medical supplies, and shelter. 

Govoni did not respond to Shomrim’s multiple requests for comment. His partner in some ventures, Glenn Devitt, recently visited Israel. When Shomrim asked him about UG’s operations, he referred questions to the company’s public relations team, which in turn replied that “our principals are traveling. We will not be commenting on this story.”