Overview
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas announced that Summer Heather Worden pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 to making false statements to the FTC and NASA’s Office of Inspector General.
- U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett set sentencing for Feb. 12, 2026; Worden remains on bond and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, with possible restitution.
- Investigators determined the bank account at issue was opened in April 2018, that both parties accessed it until January 2019, and that Worden had provided McClain login credentials since at least 2015.
- As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss additional charges, including 2022 wire-fraud counts tied to a 2017 land purchase in Spicewood, Texas.
- Worden’s 2019 accusation had prompted inquiries by the FTC and NASA’s inspector general; McClain consistently denied wrongdoing and later commanded NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission in 2025.