Former US senator Kyrsten Sinema has admitted in court filings to having a 'romantic and intimate' relationship with a married man who served as a member of her security detail during her final year in office. The admission came in response to a lawsuit filed by Heather Ammel, who accused Sinema of breaking up her marriage under North Carolina's so-called 'homewrecker' law.
In documents filed on 12 March, Sinema asked a federal judge to dismiss the case, arguing that she has no connection to North Carolina, where the bodyguard, Matthew Joseph Ammel, lived with his wife and children. Sinema stated that she was 'physically intimate' with Matthew in four states and Washington DC, but not once in North Carolina. She also said that 100% of their phone calls and emails occurred when he was outside North Carolina.
Sinema detailed half a dozen encounters, the first in Sonoma, California, in late May 2024, two months after she announced she would not seek re-election. Other encounters took place in New York, Washington DC, Aspen, Colorado, and Phoenix, Arizona. She maintained she was unaware Matthew lived in North Carolina until December 2023 and had no knowledge of his day-to-day whereabouts unless related to travel for her security detail.
Heather Ammel's lawsuit alleges that Sinema 'deliberately interfered' in her marriage, knowing Matthew was married. She claims she discovered messages 'of a romantic and lascivious nature' between her husband and Sinema, including a photo of the former senator wrapped in a towel, which Sinema denies. Heather also alleged that Sinema paid for psychedelic treatment for Matthew, a US army veteran with PTSD, which Sinema disputes.
Campaign finance documents show Matthew received nearly $9,000 in October from Sinema's old campaign committee, and a legal complaint filed in February accuses Sinema of improperly spending political funds on personal expenses. Sinema's motion to dismiss notes that she attended a Taylor Swift concert with the Ammel family in Miami in October, and days later Matthew accompanied her on a work trip to Saudi Arabia, after which he separated from his wife and moved out.
