Woman who accused wife of being first astronaut to commit crime in space admits she lied
In June 2019, NASA astronaut Anne McClain returned to Earth following 204 days in space only to face a number of damning criminals allegations filed by her own wife.
While her other half was thousands of miles away, Summer Heather Worden claimed McClain had 'illegally accessed' her bank account from the International Space Station, after correctly guessing the password for it.
For those unfamiliar with the case, the couple had been married since 2014 - a year after West Point graduate and former Iraq solider McClain, 46, joined NASA, where, more recently, she served as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission.
In 2018, after being accused by the astronaut of assault - a claim later dismissed - Worden filed for divorce from McClain, which was finalised in 2020.
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The aftermath also saw the former couple embroiled in a bitter custody battle for their son (Worden's biologically), now 13.
Worden's accusation of financial crime, however, if proven true, would have made McClain the first individual to have committed a crime outside of the Earth's atmosphere.
An investigation was carried out by both NASA's inspector general and the Federal Trade Commission in light of Sedgwick County, Kansas-local Worden's shocking allegations, which would likely see McClain serving time.
Thankfully for McClain, this week her ex-wife admitted she'd fabricated her entire story and entered a guilty plea for lying to law enforcement agents.
According to the US District Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Texas, the 50-year-old had 'actually opened the account in April 2018', with both parties having had access to it until the following January. This was when 'Worden changed the credentials', federal prosecutors say.
As official court documents revealed this week, McClain's ex - a former US Air Force intelligence officer - had granted her wife access to her financial records from as far back as 2015, 'including her login credentials'.
Following the ruling, District Judge Alfred Bennet scheduled for Worden's sentencing to take place in February of next year.
As of right now, she could face up to five years behind bars, as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Until her sentencing, Worden will remain on bond.
Rhianna Benson