In what was once billed as the world’s first alleged crime in space, the ex-wife of a NASA astronaut has admitted she fabricated the entire claim. Summer Heather Worden, a former Air Force intelligence officer, pleaded guilty last week to lying to federal investigators about astronaut Anne McClain allegedly accessing her bank account from orbit, according to the New York Times. Worden, 50, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The controversy began in 2019, when Worden accused McClain—then aboard the International Space Station—of using a guessed password to access her accounts. The claims prompted investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and NASA’s inspector general. Authorities later determined that McClain had legitimate access to Worden’s accounts dating back to 2015 as part of their shared finances. Prosecutors said Worden misled officials about when she created her personal account and changed her login credentials. McClain, a West Point graduate and Iraq veteran who joined NASA in 2013, has consistently maintained that she was managing household finances with Worden’s full knowledge. The indictment against Worden was unsealed in April 2020.
Worden made the allegations amid a custody dispute over the couple’s son, who was six at the time, according to KHOU. Worden and McClain were married in 2014, divorcing in early 2020. McClain has continued her NASA career, recently commanding the SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the ISS, returning to Earth in August after five months in space. Worden is scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge in Houston on Feb. 12.