Female Astronaut Accused Of Stealing Estranged Wife's Identity, Committing First Crime In Space
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A NASA astronaut who was supposed to be part of the first all-female spacewalk in history has been accused of another milestone – committing the first recorded crime in space.
Anne McClain, a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army, has reportedly been accused of identity theft while on board the International Space Station.
According to multiple reports, McClain allegedly accessed her estranged wife's bank account in the midst of a bitter divorce between to two women.
Summer Worden, a former Air Force intelligence officer and Kansas resident, married the astronaut in 2014.
The New York Times reports that, even though the two married, Worden was reluctant to let McClain officially adopt her son – who was born a year before the couple met.
The marriage eventually fell apart in 2018, as McClain reportedly sought to gain shared parenting rights over Worden's son.
The astronaut also took the matter to a judge, requesting the exclusive right to determine where the boy would live if Worden and McClain could not salvage their marriage.
"I don't understand this tactic of attacking me as Brig's mother and being so aggressive… and demanding a legal managing custody. That to me is bizarre to me. I don't understand who would do that to another person," Worden said via KHOU.
"If you claim to love this little boy, how are you going to show his mother zero respect?... Anne's colleagues have been known to say she will kill to win, that's how competitive she is," the astronaut's spouse claimed.
After Worden asked her bank to check her recent activity, McClain's allegedly criminal access was found out – taking place during the NASA astronaut's six-month missing on the ISS.
There's unequivocally no truth to these claims. We've been going through a painful, personal separation that's now unfortunately in the media. I appreciate the outpouring of support and will reserve comment until after the investigation. I have total confidence in the IG process.
— Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) August 24, 2019
Worden filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and with NASA. McClain denied the allegations that her use of the account was illegal.
"Lt. Col. Anne McClain has an accomplished military career… She did a great job on her most recent NASA mission aboard the International Space Station. Like with all NASA employees, NASA does not comment on personal or personnel matters," NASA said in a statement.
McClain nearly made history in March, when she was scheduled to be part of the first all-female spacewalk in history. The mission was canceled because the ISS did not have two properly fitting spacesuits for the women.