Former US senator Kyrsten Sinema has admitted in court documents to having a “romantic and intimate” relationship with a married man who served on her security detail during her final year in office. The admission came in response to a lawsuit filed by Heather Ammel, the man’s estranged wife, under North Carolina’s “homewrecker” law, which allows spouses to sue third parties for alienation of affection.
In a motion to dismiss filed on 12 March, Sinema argued that the case should be thrown out because she has no connection to North Carolina, where the bodyguard, Matthew Joseph Ammel, lived with his wife and children. She stated that she was “physically intimate” with Matthew in four states and Washington DC, but never in North Carolina. She also claimed that 100% of their phone calls and emails occurred when he was outside the state, and that she was unaware he lived in North Carolina until December 2023.
Sinema detailed half a dozen encounters with Matthew, beginning in Sonoma, California, in late May 2024, about 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. Heather Ammel’s lawsuit alleges that Sinema pursued Matthew despite knowing he was married, and that she discovered messages of a “romantic and lascivious nature”, including a photo of Sinema wrapped in a towel. Sinema denies sending such a photo.
The lawsuit also claims that Sinema paid for psychedelic treatment for Matthew, a US army veteran with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Sinema denies this, saying she has “no recollection” of suggesting he bring MDMA on a work trip. Campaign finance records show Matthew received nearly $9,000 in October from Sinema’s campaign committee, and a separate legal complaint accuses Sinema of improperly spending campaign funds on personal expenses, including payments to Matthew after she left office in January 2025.
Sinema’s filing also reveals that she joined Matthew and his family, including their three children, at a Taylor Swift concert in Miami in October. The Ammels stayed in separate hotel rooms, and days later Matthew accompanied Sinema on a work trip to Saudi Arabia. After returning, the couple separated and Matthew moved out of their North Carolina home. Sinema argues that because the affair occurred entirely outside North Carolina, the lawsuit should be dismissed.
