Charged with sexually assaulting two women he met via a dating app, Eric Sim, a 37-year-old who's touted his gig as a NASA aerospace engineer online, has been released on a $500,000 bond following his arrest. His attorney contends the sexual encounters were consensual and is preparing to fight the allegations, according to KTRK.
Both incidents purportedly took place at Sim's residence back in 2021, with one of the accusers alleging possible drugging before waking up with injuries indicative of sexual assault. The other woman accused Sim of forcing himself on her despite explicit refusals. "He presents himself as an educated, nice guy," division chief Janna Oswald of the Harris County District Attorney's Office remarked, noting the facade Sim used to lure in his potential victims. "He puts on these dating apps that he works at NASA, a reputable job, something that you would think that you'd be able to trust." Oswald pointed out, in a statement obtained by KTRK, that despite Sim's seemingly trustworthy job and demeanor, the women were reportedly subjected to his assaults.
One victim who believes to have been drugged claims she contracted an STD from the encounter, revealed court records. Prosecutors also shared with KHOU that Sim allegedly threatened to release videos of the acts and kept 'souvenirs' from his encounters, fueling a search of his premises by authorities.
Following his arrest, captured while Sim was at work blindsided, defending counsel Neal Davis said, "He's obviously shocked and devastated over these false allegations," "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 told KHOU. Despite these charges casting a shadow over Sim's reputation, he’s previously been in the spotlight for a lighter reason—his starring role in a viral NASA parody of 'Gangnam Style' over a decade ago.
Social media has since become a sounding board for potential additional victims, with many women coming forth with claims of similar encounters with Sim. This has prompted Oswald to encourage other potential victims to approach law enforcement, saying, "When they're not able to come forward to law enforcement and be part of that process, we do find other outlets in which women try to warn other potential victims," in a statement obtained by KTRK. NASA, for its part, has not commented on Sim's employment status in light of these allegations.
