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Ex-Wife Jailed for Space Crime Hoax
13 Feb
Summary
- Ex-wife sentenced to three months in federal prison.
- Accused astronaut of committing a crime from space.
- Promoted false claims to media after investigation exonerated spouse.
Summer Worden, the former spouse of NASA astronaut Anne McClain, has been sentenced to three months in federal prison. This sentence stems from Worden's guilty plea in November 2025 to lying to law enforcement after making false accusations against McClain. Worden had claimed McClain illegally accessed her bank account from the International Space Station while they were divorcing.
An investigation later revealed that Worden had fabricated the accusation. Internal findings exonerated McClain, yet Worden persisted with her false claims to news outlets and amplified them with a media consultant. She also publicly disclosed her former spouse's personal information. Worden's divorce from McClain was finalized in 2020.
Worden was further ordered to pay $210,000 in restitution. She will serve her prison sentence, followed by two years of supervised release. McClain's career has included commanding NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which concluded in August 2025.
