NASA engineer in Texas ‘believed to be serial rapist’
Officials suspect there are more victims, asks sex assault survivors to come forward

A NASA engineer has been charged in connection with six sexual assaults, Texas officials say. Now they are looking for more possible survivors.

In a news conference Wednesday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said 37-year-old Eric Sim is “believed to be a serial rapist,” and is encouraging other possible survivors to come forward.

“The nature of these offenses is so personal and so predatory that we felt it was important we tell the public,” Ogg said.

“Take a look — a long hard look — at Mr. Sim and let us know if …. you’ve been victimized by him,” she added.

Sim of Houston, was arrested in February at the Johnson Space Center and charged in two assault cases from 2021, according to KHOU.

Since his arrest, four more women have come forward accusing Sim, a NASA employee of nine years, of sexual assaults that occurred between 2019 and 2022, according to officials and court records.

These additional charges were filed March 27, court records show.

Officials said they believe Sim used his professional credentials to gain the trust of his victims, whom he met on several different dating apps and websites.

“When people have a career or an identity through something as trusted as NASA … that does gain trust pretty immediately,” said Janna Oswald, Assistant District Attorney and Chief of the Adult Sex Division.

McClatchy News reached out to NASA on Thursday for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

In a statement provided to Houston’s KPRC, NASA said its “security team cooperated with local law enforcement agencies on Feb. 29, when they arrested an employee at Johnson Space Center in Houston.”

“However, it is not appropriate for NASA to comment on ongoing investigations,” the agency added.

Investigators said Sim portrayed himself as someone interested in and seeking a committed relationship while communicating with multiple women.

All six of the known assaults happened at Sim’s residence, officials said.

One survivor said she believed she may have been drugged after she woke up naked with evidence of sexual assault injuries, KHOU reported, citing court documents.

“Eric is a well-regarded engineer who would never commit a crime like this,” Sim’s attorney Neal Davis told McClatchy News on Thursday. “He met several women on social media and dated them. Unfortunately, few had day-after regrets and have leveled these false allegations. We look forward to proving his innocence in court.”

Officials said that Sim’s extensive domestic and international travel could mean there are more victims who have yet to come forward. Officials also note that Sim has remained active on dating apps since the latest 2022 incident he accused of.

Although authorities have access to Sim’s dating profiles and information about other women he communicated with, officials said it is important for possible victims to “control their own involvement with law enforcement,” Oswald said.

“When one or more than one complainant comes out, it empowers others and it makes them feel not as alone in what they experienced,” Oswald said, addressing the time that has passed between the time of the alleged assaults and the charges.

Sim bonded out of jail Tuesday and is on 24-hour house arrest with monitored online activity, officials said. He is due back in court April 29, court records show.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Houston Police Department.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline’s online chatroom.

—

‘Believed to be a serial rapist:’ NASA employee charged with 6 sexual assaults, officials seek potential victims

HOUSTON – A NASA employee has been charged with six different sexual assaults and authorities believe there may be more victims out there.

Eric Sim, 37, is out of jail on a $700,000 bond. His bond conditions are very strict, according to officials. He is on 24-hour house arrest and his electronic devices are being monitored.

“His predatory behavior with the victims in these cases, along with his NASA credentials frequently mentioned to gain credibility with his victims, and his international travel. All are clues that could indicate further victims who are out there,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

Officials say the six cases for which Sim is charged for occurred during a time frame from 2019 to 2022. The alleged assaults happened at Sim’s townhouse east of downtown Houston, one of them possibly while intoxicated.

Authorities say Sim used dating apps to communicate with multiple people at the same time. He portrayed himself as someone who wanted a committed relationship before he ultimately sexually assaulted the victims.

The apps Sim used includes Hinge, East Meets East, and OkCupid, according to court documents. The women allege after a couple dates, Sim pinned them down and violently or forcibly assaulted them without their consent.

Because Sim frequently traveled, authorities believe there may be more victims out there, locally, nationally, and internationally. Investigators say Sim’s travels stretched to Japan, Canada, the U.K. and beyond.

“The nature of these offenses is so personal and so predatory that we felt it was important that we tell the public and ask the public to take a look, a long hard look at Mr. Sim and let us know if you not just have been in contact, you may have been victimized by him,” Ogg said.

NASA released a statement in response to questions from KPRC 2 about Sim:

NASA’s security team cooperated with local law enforcement agencies on Thursday, Feb. 29, when they arrested an employee at Johnson Space Center in Houston. However, it is not appropriate for NASA to comment on ongoing investigations. NASA will take any and all appropriate personnel action based on our own investigation as well as facts shared with us from local investigative and prosecutorial organizations. For any additional information, please contact local authorities.

Sim is also known for being a star in a viral 2012 NASA ‘Gangnam Style’ parody video. KPRC 2 reached out to Sim’s defense attorney, Neal Davis, and he provided this response:

“Eric Sim has pleaded not guilty. He had consensual relations with women he met on online dating sites and unfortunately a few of them have made false allegations. The relationships didn’t turn out the way the complainants hoped they would, and we look forward to presenting the whole truth to a jury.”