Arnold at the DEMO conference last September.

Intelius co-founder and executive vice president John Arnold has been charged with lying to a grand jury about engaging in sex acts with dancers at a Seattle strip club, according to an indictment filed last September and unsealed earlier today after the technology executive's arrest. The charges are part of the ongoing investigation into the activities of Frank Colacurcio Sr., reports The Seattle Times. Arnold today pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Intelius co-founder Naveen Jain -- reached by TechFlash on his cell phone in Los Angeles -- said he was shocked by the news. "It is extremely saddening to me because he is a really good guy," said Jain, who said he had known nothing of the investigation or the charges against his longtime business partner.

[Update: Here's a copy of the indictment: PDF, 2 pages]

[Update: "Intelius co-founder put on leave after charges in strip-club probe"]

Arnold co-founded Intelius -- a Bellevue provider of online background checks -- in 2003. Before that, he worked with Jain as executive vice president at InfoSpace in the late 90s. He also previously worked at T-Mobile and Western Wireless, and at one time studied computer science at the University of Washington.

Susan Koehler, chief marketing officer at Intelius, said the company just learned of the charges today. She said Arnold remains employed at the company, but declined to comment further.

"It is a personal matter for John and his family," she said.

Arnold allegedly lied in testimony about whether he participated in oral sex and other acts with dancers at Rick's, a Seattle strip club operation owned by Colacurcio. Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney's Office, offered this statement:

“Truthful testimony is the bedrock of our criminal justice system. When a witness seeks to mislead the grand jury, or the court, on a material matter, the consequences are significant and the punishment can be substantial," she said. "Our indictment today seeks to hold Mr. Arnold accountable for untruthful testimony to the grand jury.”‬‪

A public defender represented Arnold today during his not-guilty plea. A trial date was set for April, and he was released on his personal recognizance with certain conditions.

Ironically, Intelius has been marketing an iPhone application called "Date Check" that's designed to help people find out if potential dates have been involved in criminal activity. That app includes a function called the "Sleaze Detector," which provides information on criminal activities. At the Demo conference last September, Arnold had this to say about the new application.

"Letting a stranger into your life is a huge risk, and in the age of Internet anonymity, a simple online search isn’t enough to tell you everything you need to know," he said. "The Date Check mobile application removes some of the guesswork and gives you the confidence to decide on the spot if continuing the conversation is worth your time.”

And here's a video of the Arnold showing off the application.