Kyrsten Sinema, a former US senator from Arizona, is being sued over an alleged romantic relationship with a member of a security detail, Matthew Ammel, leading to the end of his marriage.
Seeking at least $75,000, the bodyguard's ex-wife, Heather Ammel, claimed in the lawsuit that Matthew and she had "a good and loving marriage" with "genuine love and affection" before Sinema interfered while knowing he was married.
The Arizona lawmaker's head of security hired Ammel after he retired from the army in 2022. He accompanied the former Senator on travels to destinations including Napa Valley, California; Las Vegas, and Saudi Arabia.
In early 2024, Ammel's wife discovered "romantic and lascivious" messages he had exchanged with Sinema over the Signal messaging app.
The lawsuit further noted that that summer he stopped wearing his wedding ring, and Sinema gave him a job as a national security fellow in her senate office while he continued to work for her campaign as a bodyguard.
Sinema also paid for his psychedelic treatment, as he was struggling with post-traumatic stress, substance abuse and traumatic brain injuries tied to his military deployments in Afghanistan and the Middle East, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed late last year in Moore County, North Carolina; however, this week, Sinema asked for the suit to be moved from state court to federal court.
North Carolina is one of a handful of states that allow former spouses to sue for "alienation of affection" to seek damages from a third party responsible for the breakup of their marriage.
Sinema left Congress after the 2024 election and now works for the Washington-based legal and lobbying firm Hogan Lovells. She has lobbied for data center development and research funding for the psychedelic drug ibogaine.
