First crime in space was a hoax! Woman admits she lied about astronaut ex-wife committing theft from ISS

A woman who claimed that her former astronaut wife accessed her bank account from space has now admitted to lying. This was said to be the first crime committed in space, only to be canned years later. Summer Worden, 50, is now facing up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for lying to federal agents. Her ex-wife, Anne McClain, is a NASA astronaut and Iraq War veteran, while Worden is a former Air Force Intelligence officer. The two have been tied in a legal tussle for a year. Worden pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of lying to law enforcement. In 2019, Worden claimed that McClain guessed her password and accessed her bank account in January while stationed on the International Space Station. The Federal Trade Commission and NASA's Inspector General launched an investigation into the allegation.

Also Read: Phoenix pastor stirs controversy, says 'single mother w****s' don't deserve church money

Worden gave the federal agents the wrong details

The New York Times reported that the probe revealed that Worden had given her wife access to the accounts in 2015 since they shared finances. She was indicted and accused of lying to the agents about when she opened her account and changed her password. Worden was charged with two counts of making false statements to NASA's Office of Inspector General and to the Federal Trade Commission, according to the indictment. In 2020, she claimed that she had given the incorrect dates for when she opened the account by mistake. She further stated that she was going to change the password once the new account was created.

Also Read: Frenchman finds Rs 7 crore worth of gold treasure buried in his yard, allowed to keep it

Worden had filed for divorce months after opening a personal bank account in 2018. McClain's lawyer said the account was used for family expenses, which is why she continued to access the account. But Worden accused McClain of stealing her identity and accessing it in January of 2019. But the latter claimed that she had used the account throughout their relationship, and continued to do so even after being separated, and Worden knew all about it and had never told her not to.

Worden had a son who was born through surrogacy before they met. She did not let McClain legally adopt the boy, who petitioned in court in 2018 for shared parenting rights. She claimed in court that Worden had an explosive temper and a history of rash financial decisions. She said she accessed the account to take care of their son.