She Accused Astronaut of a Space Crime. Now, a Twist

Summer Worden, ex-wife of astronaut Anne McClain, accused of making false statements
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 7, 2020 1:47 PM CDT
Updated Apr 11, 2020 2:00 PM CDT
She Accused Astronaut of a Space Crime. Now, a Twist
The International Space Station.   (Getty Images)

It was an unprecedented accusation, and now there's a twist: In what's been described as the first allegation of a crime in space, astronaut Anne McClain was accused of improperly accessing the personal bank account of estranged spouse Summer Worden on two occasions in January 2019 while McClain was aboard the International Space Station. The two were in the midst of a separation and custody battle, and McClain—who was not accused of touching the funds and did admit to viewing the account—said that she was simply keeping on an eye on their finances as she had always done, and that Worden never told her to discontinue accessing it. Now, the twist: It's Worden who has been indicted by a federal grand jury; she faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Worden, 44, is accused of lying about key details to NASA's Office of Inspector General and to the Federal Trade Commission—the agencies that she brought her identity theft complaint to. The grand jury indictment, which the New York Times reports was returned in February but only now unsealed, accused Worden of telling investigators incorrect dates regarding when she opened the account and when she changed her login information. Prosecutors say she claimed to have changed her password upon opening the new account to ensure McClain "had no visibility or access to my financial status/transactions." In reality, the indictment says her login info wasn't changed until Jan. 31, 2019, reports the Houston Chronicle. The Spokesman-Review reports Worden has an April 13 court date. (More weird crimes stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X