Summer Heather Worden, 50, pleaded guilty to making a false statement after accusing her former wife, astronaut Anne McClain, of accessing her bank account while McClain was aboard the International Space Station. A NASA Office of Inspector General investigation found that Worden had opened the account in April 2018, that both had account access through January 2019, and that Worden had shared login credentials going back to at least 2015. Worden faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; sentencing is set for February 2026. McClain denied the allegations and returned to the ISS in 2025, performing a spacewalk.
Woman Pleads Guilty After Falsely Accusing Astronaut Ex of Accessing Her Bank Account from the ISS
Summer Heather Worden, 50, pleaded guilty to making a false statement after accusing her former wife, astronaut Anne McClain, of accessing her bank account while McClain was aboard the International Space Station. A NASA Office of Inspector General investigation found that Worden had opened the account in April 2018, that both had account access through January 2019, and that Worden had shared login credentials going back to at least 2015. Worden faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; sentencing is set for February 2026. McClain denied the allegations and returned to the ISS in 2025, performing a spacewalk.
08:06 PM, 11/19/2025Society
Summer Heather Worden, 50, has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to federal investigators after accusing her former wife, astronaut Anne McClain, of illegally accessing her bank account while McClain was aboard the International Space Station.
Background and investigation
Worden reported in July 2019 that McClain had accessed the account earlier that year while assigned to the ISS. McClain served on the station from December 2018 through June 2019. A probe by NASA’s Office of Inspector General found that Worden opened the account in April 2018 and that both women had access to it until January 2019. Investigators also found that Worden had regularly provided McClain with access to her banking records, including login credentials, dating back at least to 2015.
Dispute and complaints
McClain denied any wrongdoing and said the two were going through a painful personal separation. Worden, a former Air Force intelligence officer, disputed McClain’s account and filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission; Worden’s family also filed a complaint with NASA’s Office of Inspector General alleging identity theft and improper access. The OIG investigation did not substantiate the claim that a crime was committed from space.
Legal outcome
On Nov. 13, Worden pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to federal law enforcement. She faces up to five years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2026; Worden remains on bond pending that hearing.
Aftermath
McClain returned to the International Space Station in 2025 and conducted a spacewalk during that mission. Years earlier she had been scheduled to take part in NASA’s first planned all-female spacewalk, which was postponed because of a spacesuit sizing issue; the historic excursion was later carried out by Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.
Note: The case received attention as an early, widely reported allegation that a crime had been committed in space, but investigators determined the accusation was unfounded and a false report was ultimately admitted.