Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema Accused of Affair with Bodyguard Leading to Marriage Breakdown

Kyrsten Sinema, a former senator from Arizona, has been accused of causing marital strife due to her purported affair with her bodyguard, as claimed in a lawsuit initiated by the ex-wife of the bodyguard. The action was taken by Heather Ammel in North Carolina, alleging that the senator engaged in intentional and harmful interference during her union with Matthew Ammel, a retired veteran of the U.S. Army who began working on Sinema's security detail in April 2022.

The lawsuit indicates that Matthew accompanied Sinema on various trips to locations such as Napa Valley, California, Las Vegas, and Saudi Arabia. It is claimed in the legal documents that Sinema and her bodyguard attended numerous concerts together, including those of Green Day, Taylor Swift, and U2.

Heather reportedly discovered in January 2024 that they were sending each other romantic and sexually suggestive messages via the Signal messaging application. Among these, one message allegedly contained a photograph of Matthew “wrapped in a towel.” Furthermore, the two are said to have communicated about having sex in a suggestive manner, with Sinema reportedly responding to comments about their sexual activity with, “Boring!”

The allegations extend to Sinema having covered the costs for psychedelic treatment for Matthew, who was dealing with issues related to post-traumatic stress disorder, substance misuse, and traumatic brain injuries linked to his military service in Afghanistan and the Middle East. By the summer months, it was stated that he had stopped wearing his wedding band, and Sinema is alleged to have offered him a paid position as a national security fellow in her Senate office while he continued to serve as her bodyguard during her campaign.

Around the same timeframe, Heather discovered more texts with intimate content exchanged between the two. In October 2024, Heather alleged that a message from Sinema to Matthew said, “I miss you. Putting my hand on your heart. I’ll see you soon.” Upon seeing this message, Heather confronted him, asking, “Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from his family,” according to the lawsuit.

After a work-related trip to Saudi Arabia in November 2024, Matthew permanently vacated the residence he shared with Heather, and they officially separated shortly thereafter. The lawsuit was lodged in late 2025 in Moore County, North Carolina, and gained media coverage after Sinema requested this week for it to be transferred from the state court to federal court.

Heather’s lawsuit seeks damages amounting to $25,000, invoking North Carolina’s alienation of affection law, a statute that allows for third-party lawsuits when interference results in a marriage ending.

Sinema departed from Congress after the 2024 election cycle and had declared her intent to retire in March of that same year.