The complaint alleges that former Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema had a romantic relationship with a security guard and works at a university to which he donated millions of dollars.
Chandler City Council votes against AI data center
Chandler became one of the first cities in the Phoenix area to refuse to build a data center, despite months of lobbying from former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
- Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is being sued for allegedly having an affair with a married man on her security detail.
- The lawsuit was filed under North Carolina’s Alienation of Affection or Family Destruction Act.
- The man’s estranged wife is seeking more than $25,000 in damages for the breakdown of their 14-year marriage.
PHOENIX – Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema had a romantic relationship with a member of the Guard while she was in office and now works at Arizona State University, destroying her 14-year marriage, a lawsuit says.
The North Carolina case depicts Sinema’s destruction of a troubled Army veteran’s marriage and alludes to some of the foreign travel that led to ethics complaints against Sinema before his retirement.
The lawsuit seeks more than $25,000 and is filed under the state’s Home Destruction Act. The matter came to light on January 14, when it was transferred to federal court in the state. Cinema could not be reached for comment.
What does the lawsuit against Sinema allege?
Heather Ammel claims in her lawsuit that Matthew Ammel accompanied Sinema on a lavish trip to Saudi Arabia’s Napa Valley and drank Dom Perignon with Sinema and Cindy McCain at an event in Las Vegas.
According to the complaint, Cinema sent Ammel photos of himself wrapped in a towel, engaged in “lewd” chats with her on social media messaging apps, and helped her receive psychedelic treatments.
Last year, Ms. Sinema persuaded Arizona lawmakers to funnel $5 million in taxpayer funds to clinical trials of the hallucinogenic drug ibogaine and a one-time investment for her employer, the law firm Hogan Lovells.
“Prior to (Cinema’s) deliberate and malicious interference, (Heather Ammel) and Mr. Ammel had a successful and loving marriage, and true love and affection existed between them,” the complaint states.
Matthew Ummell appeared with Sinema in Congress in 2025 when Sinema urged lawmakers to fund ibogaine trials. He also appeared with her at the Future Security Forum, an event co-sponsored by ASU last fall. Ammel is identified on ASU’s website as a fellow at the school.
In January 2025, newly out of office, Sinema donated $3 million of his previous campaign funds to support AI research at ASU, the industry where he currently works.
According to the suit, the Ammers married in 2010 but separated in 2024 after accompanying Sinema on a trip to Saudi Arabia. they have three children.
Matthew Ammel worked as part of the security team at Sinema
According to the complaint, Matthew Ammel was deployed four times to Afghanistan and the Middle East during his service.
Heather Ummel said her estranged husband suffers from substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.
Before he met Sinema in 2022, he “began to become heavily dependent on marijuana and became mentally unstable,” the complaint states.
While juggling various jobs, he met the cinema’s head of security, who hired him to work for the company starting April 2022.
Records show Matthew Ammel received $121,000 in compensation from a political action committee associated with Sinema’s campaign. He also received an additional $6,800 in reimbursement for travel and security expenses.
Who is Kyrsten Sinema?
Sinema will retire in January 2025 after a tumultuous term in the Senate.
She was elected as a Democrat in 2018, but became an independent in 2022 after it became clear that she would not survive the Democratic primary.
Sinema helped shape several bipartisan legislative achievements, including a multitrillion-dollar national infrastructure spending plan after President Joe Biden’s efforts on the issue collapsed.
But most of all, her support for the legislative filibuster, a Senate rule that thwarted Democratic goals under the Biden administration and now limits Republican goals under President Donald Trump, defined her tenure.
