A Kansas woman who once claimed her astronaut wife committed the “first crime in space” pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to federal agents, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Summer Heather Worden, 50, admitted she falsely reported that then-spouse Anne McClain accessed her bank account from the International Space Station in 2019, according to the Justice Department. U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett accepted the plea Nov. 13; sentencing is set for Feb. 12, 2026, and Worden faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. NASA’s Office of Inspector General led the probe. (RELATED: Elon Musk Says SpaceX Could Have Saved Astronauts Months Ago, But Biden Rejected His Offer For ‘Political Reasons’)
“In July 2019, Summer Heather Worden alleged her estranged spouse had guessed the password and illegally accessed her bank account while the spouse was deployed to the International Space Station,” prosecutors wrote. “However, Worden had actually opened the account in April 2018. Both parties had accessed it until January 2019 when Worden changed the credentials.”
This artist’s concept shows the International Space Station when its assembly sequence is completed in 2004, including minor changes to the final station configuration agreed upon by international partners in May 1998. (NASA image)
Prosecutors said investigators found Worden had granted McClain access to her banking records since at least 2015, including login credentials — undercutting the sensational accusation that ricocheted through headlines as the first-ever “space crime.”
Worden pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to law enforcement. She remains free on bond until sentencing, prosecutors said.
The 2019 claim — lodged while McClain was on orbit — triggered inquiries beyond NASA, including federal consumer protection officials, before collapsing under the evidence trail. Worden’s plea ends years of speculation over the allegation and formally clears McClain of wrongdoing.