HOUSTON – A 51-year-old resident of Sedgwick County, Kansas, has been ordered to federal prison for making false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and representations to law enforcement, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Heather Worden pleaded guilty Nov. 14, 2025.U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now sentenced Worden to three months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. The court also ordered Worden to pay $210,000 in restitution.
At the hearing, the court heard evidence that Worden falsely accused her former spouse of illegally accessing her bank account from the International Space Station while the couple was going through a divorce. Even after an internal investigation exonerated the former spouse, Worden continued promoting the false claim to news outlets and hired a media consultant to amplify the claim. The evidence further showed Worden publicly released her former spouse’s personal information.
In July 2019, Worden alleged her estranged spouse had guessed her password and illegally accessed her bank account while deployed to the International Space Station. However, the investigation revealed Worden opened her bank account in April 2018, and both parties accessed it until January 2019, when Worden changed the account credentials. Investigators also determined Worden had granted her spouse access to her bank records, including login credentials, as early as 2015. Worden was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.The National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard D. Hanes and Brandon Fyffe prosecuted the case.