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Summer Worden Pleads Guilty to Lying About Astronaut’s Alleged Bank Access From Space

Prosecutors will dismiss separate fraud charges under the plea agreement.

Overview

  • Worden, 50, entered the plea in the Southern District of Texas to making materially false statements to the FTC and NASA’s Office of Inspector General.
  • Investigators determined she had shared login credentials with Anne McClain as early as 2015, that the account was opened in 2018, and that both accessed it until January 2019.
  • Sentencing is set for February 12, 2026, with a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and restitution; she remains free on bond.
  • Under the deal, prosecutors will drop wire-fraud and related charges tied to a 2017 land investment in Spicewood, Texas.
  • McClain has denied wrongdoing, asserting she had permission to monitor finances, and the widely touted “first space crime” narrative was disproven.