It’s the end of a romantic conflict, then a legal conflict, that ends… in space. A former US intelligence officer admitted last week to lying when he accused his astronaut ex-wife of committing history’s first crime in space.
As reported by the New York Times, Summer Heather Worden pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement by accusing Anne McClain of illegally accessing her bank account from space.
Anne McClain can return to space
The former Air Force intelligence officer’s allegations caused a sensation in 2019 when Anne McClain was aboard the International Space Station. He explained that his then partner had guessed his password to illegally access his private bank account from space in January 2019.
The affair, which sparked investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and NASA’s inspector general, quickly turned against him. In an indictment made public in April 2020, prosecutors uncovered initial lies about when he first opened his personal account and changed his login credentials.
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Federal investigators also discovered that Summer Heather Worden had given her partner access to her accounts since 2015 as part of the couple’s joint financial management. Anne McClain also defended herself, repeating that she only managed the couple’s finances with full knowledge of the facts.
Summer Heather Worden, 50, faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Meanwhile, Anne McClain returned to Earth in August after a second trip to the International Space Station in March 2025 as commander of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission.
