Ex-Senator Sinema's Ex-Boyfriend Arrested for $200,000 Home Vandalism

Matthew Ammel, the former bodyguard and romantic partner of ex-Senator Kyrsten Sinema, has been arrested in connection with an alleged $200,000 destructive incident at her Arizona home on August 30. Ammel is accused of threatening to destroy Sinema's paintings unless she posted a video on her X account, according to court documents.

When Sinema refused, Ammel allegedly removed 22 paintings from the walls and hurled them into her backyard pool. Investigators have valued the damaged paintings at $123,015. Ammel is also accused of smashing bottles of liquor, shattering a large wall-mounted mirror, and littering the house and pool area with broken glass. The total damage to the residence and pool is estimated to exceed $200,000.

Sinema, who was out of town during the alleged rampage, provided deputies with text messages, videos, and surveillance footage that investigators say identify Ammel as the perpetrator. He faces one count of criminal damage, a class 4 felony that carries a potential prison sentence of up to four years for first-time offenders.

Ammel, an Army veteran, was arrested on September 17 after being released from a behavioral health center. During his initial court hearing, Ammel did not appear in person, with a deputy stating he was reportedly "combative." He was released with an electronic monitoring device and is scheduled to return to court on October 1.

The alleged incident occurred less than two weeks after Sinema testified in a federal hearing in North Carolina concerning her relationship with Ammel. Ammel's ex-wife, Heather Ammel, is suing Sinema under North Carolina's 'alienation of affection' law, seeking at least $75,000 in damages. The lawsuit claims Sinema, a former Democratic lawmaker who later became an independent, began an affair with Ammel shortly after he was hired to her security team in 2022, allegedly ruining her 14-year marriage.

Court filings indicate Ammel claimed Sinema became "handsy" with him at a music festival in March 2024 and that she suggested he bring MDMA on a work trip in 2023 for a "psychedelic experience." Sinema testified in a July deposition that their relationship became sexual on May 27, 2024, during a visit to Napa, with subsequent encounters in New York, Washington, Colorado, and Arizona. Sinema had argued that North Carolina courts lacked jurisdiction, but a U.S. District Judge ruled this month that nine texts sent to Ammel while he was in the state provided sufficient grounds for jurisdiction. The judge also noted in a footnote that Ammel "does not have a record of telling the truth in this matter."

Ammel was reportedly paid over $90,000 for six months of work on Sinema's Senate staff, according to congressional salary data. Sinema, who did not seek reelection in 2024, now works as a senior adviser at the Washington law firm Hogan Lovells.