The private life of former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema just became very public. Court documents unsealed this week reveal that Sinema, 49, engaged in a romantic relationship with her married bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, while she was still in office. The explosive details come from an “alienation of affection” lawsuit filed by Ammel’s ex-wife, Heather, who is seeking damages for the breakdown of their 14-year marriage.
In a signed declaration, Sinema acknowledged that her relationship with Ammel, a 39-year-old Army veteran and father of three, “became romantic and intimate” in May 2024, with physical encounters in California, New York, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.. But she’s asking a federal judge to toss the lawsuit, arguing that since none of the intimacy happened in North Carolina, where the Ammels lived, the court has no jurisdiction.
Heather Ammel’s lawsuit paints a detailed picture of a relationship that allegedly began long before Sinema admits. According to the complaint, Sinema began romantically pursuing Ammel shortly after he joined her security detail in April 2022. The two reportedly communicated frequently on the encrypted messaging app Signal, exchanging messages that “exceeded the bounds of a normal working relationship and were of romantic and lascivious natures”.
The allegations don’t stop at emotional intimacy. Heather claims Sinema sent provocative photos, including one of the former senators wrapped only in a towel, an accusation Sinema has denied. The lawsuit also alleges Sinema became “handsy” with Ammel at the Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona, and asked him to remove his wedding ring “so it wouldn’t look like she was putting her hands on a married man” at concerts.
Perhaps the most startling claim involves illegal drugs. Heather Ammel’s lawsuit alleges Sinema asked Ammel to bring MDMA (ecstasy) on work trips so she could “guide him through a psychedelic experience”. Sinema has responded that she has “no recollection” of such messages.
The drug connection isn’t entirely random. Sinema has been a vocal advocate for psychedelic therapies for veterans suffering from PTSD, and Ammel himself has sought treatment with ibogaine in Mexico. Sinema previously cited him as an inspiration for her advocacy work, telling the Phoenix New Times she “saw the difference it was making in his life”.
The alleged affair unfolded against a backdrop of concerts and luxury travel. The couple reportedly attended U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas (where Ammel brought his wife along in December 2023), Green Day in Washington, D.C., and Taylor Swift in Miami. After the Vegas trip, Heather began noticing the frequency of their messages increasing.
Campaign finance records show Sinema spent $1,610.75 on “gifts” at the “Official Store of Taylor Swift” in October 2024 and $572.67 at Three Sticks Wines in Sonoma, California, labeled as a “meeting expense”. Between October and December 2024, her campaign spent $241,000 on security-related expenses, and months after leaving office, she spent $616 in Aspen on “security detail ski tickets”.
In October 2024, Sinema sent Ammel a message while he was home in North Carolina: “I miss you. Putting my hand on your heart. I’ll see you soon”. Heather discovered the message and responded directly: “Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from his family”.
Sinema’s legal team argues that by then, the marriage was already over. Matthew Ammel had found a new apartment, and the relationship was effectively finished. Sinema maintains she had no knowledge of Ammel’s physical location when communicating with him and that 100% of their calls and emails occurred while he was outside North Carolina.
Heather Ammel is seeking at least $25,000 in damages under North Carolina’s “alienation of affection” statute, a Civil War-era law that remains on the books in only a handful of states. The law allows a spouse to sue a third party for “wrongful and malicious conduct” that destroys a marriage.
Sinema’s motion to dismiss hinges on jurisdiction. Her attorney, Steven Epstein, argues that “no jury would believe that one message had any bearing on the destruction of marital love and affection”. The defense contends Sinema lacks sufficient connection to North Carolina to be sued there.
Matthew Ammel’s employment arrangement with Sinema evolved significantly over time. Initially paid through Sinema’s campaign account and her “Getting Stuff Done” leadership PAC, he became a formal Senate employee in June 2024, earning more than $90,000 over six months as a “Defense and National Security Fellow”. The position came while he continued providing security services.
Sinema represented Arizona in the U.S. House from 2013 to 2019 and in the Senate from 2019 to 2025. She left the Democratic Party to become an independent in 2022, frequently clashing with her former colleagues. She declined to seek reelection in 2024 after polls showed a challenging primary. She now works for the Washington-based lobbying firm Hogan Lovells, where she has lobbied on psychedelic therapy issues.
Heather Ammel’s legal team has not yet responded to Sinema’s filing. The next deadline is April 2, when the court will consider arguments before deciding whether the case proceeds in North Carolina or must be refiled elsewhere. For now, the former senators carefully constructed post-office image faces its first serious test, not over policy, but over a relationship that began behind closed doors and is now playing out in open court.
