Astronaut Anne McClain faces charges for supposedly hacking the bank account of Summer Worden, her estranged wife. Worden’s complaint accuses McClain of accessing the account without notifying Warden, causing the accuser to question her privacy.
Considered a top astronaut at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), McClain was stationed at the International Space Station (ISS). She stayed at the ISS from December 2018 to June 2019, during which the alleged crime occurred.
Worden is reportedly a former Air Force intelligence worker. She submitted an identity complaint against the astronaut. Meanwhile, her parents wrote a letter of complaint addressed to NASA’s Office of Inspector General.
‘First space crime’
If proven guilty, McClain will be the first person to commit a crime in space. According to the complaint, the defendant used one of NASA’s computers to access her wife’s bank account. The astronaut acknowledged the allegations but clarified that she did not use unauthorized methods to access the account.
McClain’s lawyers remarked that the defendant “used an old password to log in.” They also said that the astronaut was never told not to log into the account. As per her attorneys, McClain accessed the bank account to “ensure her family’s finances were in order.”
The two are undergoing what is described to be a “painful, personal separation.” The defendant reserved the right to comment until the investigation is completed. She also remains firm in her statement that “there’s unequivocally no truth to [the] claims."
Meanwhile, Worden says that she felt shocked and revulsed when she learned of the incident. She emphasized that the astronaut would not get away with her actions. She also said that “was very disheartened that [she] couldn’t keep anything private.”
According to Warden’s family, the former Air Force officer has a six-year-old son who McClain has tried to adopt. The family also said McClain has been demanding with regards to seeing the boy. Worden spoke out after the defendant was given visitation rights at the beginning of August.
Worden’s mother claims that her daughter is “almost held hostage” and that the astronaut seems to control their lives. The mother also said that McClain demands to talk to the six-year-old at 7 o’clock, which supposedly limits their lives. The family has to be home by the given time thrice a week, which is incidentally their dinner time.
As of this writing, the case still has no resolution.