HOUSTON — Four more women have now come forward to say a NASA aerospace engineer sexually assaulted them and investigators believe there may be more victims.
Eric Sim, 37, is currently facing six counts of sexual assault and the district attorney's office calls him a "sexual predator."
According to his lawyer, Sim was arrested at Johnson Space Center in February and charged in two 2021 cases. He was released on a $500,000 bond.
Four more women came forward in the last few weeks and said they were victimized between 2019 and 2022.
Since Sim was using dating apps before 2019 and after 2022, the Harris County District Attorney's Office is encouraging other women who may have been victimized to come forward.
“We know what a challenge it can be for sexual assault survivors and we want to encourage you that whether a case is filed or not, both HPD and the district attorney’s office offer victim’s support services and advocacy," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said at a news conference Wednesday.
All six women said they met Sim on different dating apps and they went on several dates with him before the alleged attacks happened at his home.
Prosecutors believe his job with NASA helped him gain credibility with his victims.
"You think he would be somebody that was trustworthy and safe, and they had every reason to believe that he was," prosecutor Janna Oswald said last month.
According to prosecutors, one woman told investigators she believed she may have been drugged before the assault while the two were drinking wine. She said she woke up hours later naked with signs of sexual assault injuries. That woman said she also contracted an STD.
The other alleged victim said Sim forced himself onto her when she refused to have sex with him, Oswald said.
The women said Sim threatened to release videos of the incidents if they went to police, according to prosecutors.
Oswald said they discovered that women were sharing warnings about Sim online.
"There are sites out there stating, 'Don't date him,'" Oswald said. "And Instagram pages that were created way before this investigation."
They're also concerned that Sim may have assaulted women in other cities or even other countries since he's traveled extensively. HPD Detective Katelyn Howton said they have a long list of countries he has visited, including Japan, UK and Canada.
We spoke with Sim's lawyer in March. He said Sim claims everything was consensual.
"He's obviously shocked and devastated over these false allegations," defense attorney Neal Davis said. "I think they're starting to hit him, the gravity of what these allegations are, and he is looking forward to proving his innocence."
Davis asked why it took so long for the women to come forward.
"It is not uncommon for victims or complainants of sexual abuse to delay in their outcry and that's what we had here," Oswald said.
According to court documents, Sim has worked at NASA for nine years.
NASA said it cooperated with authorities when an employee was arrested in February and will take appropriate action based on its investigation and facts from police agencies.
Star of NASA's 'Gangnam Style' parody that went viral
If Sim looks familiar, that's because he starred in a viral parody music video of "Gangnam Style" called "NASA's Johnson Style" 11 years ago.
The spoof of South Korean pop star Psy's hit was created by NASA interns in 2013 and it featured cameos from NASA astronauts. They created the music video to "promote NASA’s efforts to increase interest in science, technology, math and science through unique internships and student experiences," according to an article on NASA's website.
At the time, Sim was a student at North Carolina State University.
The video went viral with more than 8.6 million views and became the most-watched clip on the agency’s “Reel NASA” YouTube channel.
After its success, NASA also created a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the parody.