When Eric Eugene Cooper's many ex-wives and former girlfriends appear in a Harris County courtroom today, they will see a man very different from the charmer who captivated them in years past.

The engaging fellow they accuse of waging a complex charade — who, they say, falsely presented himself as a U.S. Navy SEAL, naval officer or recruiting officer, wearing military uniforms as he wooed them with prospects of marriage — will be only a memory.

Instead, they will see a nondescript man in a wheelchair, who has been locked up for more than a year. Cooper, who his attorney says suffers from diabetes and bone cancer, also will have an insulin pump attached to his body.

On paper, at least, the case looks like a fairly mundane criminal trial. But it could lead to a courtroom showdown worthy of a soap opera by reuniting the players in an emotional dispute that has drawn national media attention.

Cooper, 30, a San Jacinto County man who prosecutors say is not a Navy officer and never finished basic training, is charged with tampering with a government document. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. If that happens, he has asked that his sentence be assessed by the judge instead of the jury.

While the trial's guilt-innocence phase is expected to be fairly unremarkable, focusing only on whether Cooper altered a former wife's car title without permission, a conviction would open the door to the many other allegations against him: the military charade, his criminal history and his simultaneous romantic relationships.

At least 10 women — ex-wives and former girlfriends — have been subpoenaed to appear in state District Judge Mike Wilkinson's court to testify against Cooper. Whether they testify in the guilt-innocence phase depends on the defense's tactics. If Cooper is convicted, the women also may testify in the punishment phase.

"None of us have a desire to confront him or say anything. We just want to get rid of him and get past it," said Lynn Weber of Friendswood, whose daughter was married to Cooper briefly in 2004 before pursuing the tampering charge. "We know this is the only chance of stopping him from victimizing other young girls."

He says he's the victim

Cooper, who has been married at least seven times, according to public records, denies altering a car title or duping anyone, says defense attorney Andrew Williams. Cooper says he is the victim of scorned women who conspired against him after the romances soured, Williams said.

"They were really angry and want to hang him from the highest tree," Williams said. "He never did any of that stuff. ... This is a chance for them to get back at him if they can, and they're taking advantage of it."

The dispute became news last year after Weber's daughter, Krystal Weber, 24, now a nurse in the Texas Medical Center, shared her story of meeting Cooper on a singles Web site. She married him in Las Vegas after a whirlwind courtship and soon discovered some surprises that stopped her cold.

At first, Cooper, a smooth talker with a country drawl, seemed like a great catch. He told Weber and her mother he was a naval fighter pilot based at Ellington Field, served as a lieutenant commander, had been a Navy SEAL, expected to retire from the military soon and had a $2.7 million trust fund, according to court papers filed by Harris County prosecutors in June.

Cooper also told his intended bride he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, earned a master's degree in business and owned property in Durango, Colo., court documents show.

Uninformed bride

In reality, Cooper was a small-time con man who graduated in 1994 from Shepherd High School, about an hour northeast of Houston, and worked menial jobs before spending a year in prison for credit card abuse. He also had been arrested in San Jacinto County on charges of bigamy, impersonating a peace officer and forgery.

Krystal Weber knew none of this when she married Cooper in September 2004. Within weeks, her parents found suspicious transactions on their bank accounts. By the time the family confronted Cooper, he was moving out of his new wife's southwest Houston apartment, driving away with a mattress strapped to the top of his car. The marriage was annulled.

Friendswood police arrested Cooper on the tampering charge in January 2005 after Weber accused him of signing his name to her car title without permission.

Cooper denied all of the allegations when interviewed by the Houston Chronicle last year at his grandparents' home in Shepherd. He also denied wearing or owning any military uniforms or duping anyone.

But numerous other women, and even some friends, said Cooper also deceived them.

One former girlfriend recalled Cooper carrying an M-16 rifle in a briefcase. Police in Lake Charles, La., had alerted the Navy and the Army about Cooper having a Navy uniform and another man's Army identification. One woman said Cooper, wearing dress whites, even went to her son's elementary school in New Caney to speak to a second-grade class.

'He needs to do jail time'

The national press quickly picked up the story, including Oprah, the ABC news program 20/20 and People magazine.

Cooper has been in custody since he was arrested last year in Kansas after jumping bond and missing a court date on the tampering charge in Harris County. His attorney says Cooper left Texas to seek alternative cancer treatment.

Several former flames say Cooper should be punished, or least stopped from hurting other women.

"I absolutely think he needs to do jail time. He needs to learn a lesson. He needs to know what he has done is wrong, and he needs to not be allowed to do it to someone else," said Tonya Causey, 28, of Kingwood, who said she once was engaged to Cooper and has been subpoenaed to appear at his trial.

Dorian Cotlar, who will prosecute the case, would not comment except to say, "Eric Cooper has shown that he has no regard for the law."

It has not yet been decided whether Cooper will testify, Williams said. But Weber's mother said she wouldn't be surprised if he does.

"I'm sure he intends to get up there and charm the jury," she said. "He has the gift of gab. He's a con man. He can talk. That's his strength."

peggy.ohare@chron.com