Ex-Senator Sinema's Ex-Lover Trashed Home Over War and Military-Industrial Complex Ties, He Claims

Matthew Ammel, who was formerly a bodyguard and lover to Senator Kyrsten Sinema, has detailed the reasons behind a destructive incident at her Arizona home in August. Ammel stated that he vandalized the property, causing an estimated $200,000 in damages, because he believed Sinema had compromised her principles and aligned herself with industries that profit from war, particularly referencing conflicts in Gaza and Iran.

Ammel was alone at Sinema's Cave Creek residence on August 30 when he began destroying her belongings. Court documents indicate that he threatened to discard her paintings into a pool if she did not post a video on her social media account. When Sinema refused, Ammel submerged 22 of her paintings in the pool and smashed mirrors and expensive liquor bottles throughout the house.

The video Ammel demanded be posted was from his 2007 deployment to Iraq, which he described as depicting soldiers' treatment of an individual they had shot. He told The Arizona Republic that he wanted the video shared because he believed Sinema was "working for some of the companies that financially benefit from the genocide in Gaza and the current war we're losing in Iran."

Sinema, who served a single term in the Senate from 2019 to 2025, has since joined the law firm Hogan Lovells as a senior advisor. Ammel joined her security detail in 2022 and began an affair with her in 2024. He expressed feeling like "arm candy" while accompanying Sinema to events associated with AI defense company Palantir, a British American Tobacco board dinner, and a wedding for CNN anchor Jessica Dean. "I was pissed at the system and I took it out on her art," Ammel stated, adding that he felt the American public was unaware of the extent to which "our government is" and "what our politicians spend their time doing."

Ammel's case has been referred to a grand jury, with an arraignment scheduled for Thursday and a trial set for February 25, 2027. Ammel, a former Green Beret, had been working as a cowboy at a California National Guard base since March but returned to Arizona. He claimed that Sinema urged him to return when he fell ill and that he had been attempting to end their relationship, accusing her of interfering in his custody dispute with his ex-wife.

He stated that their relationship became sexual on a trip to Napa in May 2024, after Sinema had announced she would not seek reelection. Sinema confirmed the affair and subsequent encounters in various locations. Ammel's ex-wife, Heather Ammel, has filed a lawsuit against Sinema under North Carolina's "homewrecker" law, alleging Sinema's actions led to the collapse of her marriage. Ammel has disputed his ex-wife's claims that Sinema used her position to take advantage of him, stating that "Kyrsten didn't take advantage of me."

Ammel was arrested on September 17 after a period of psychiatric care. He has reportedly been staying in hotels and learned of his breakup with Sinema through a hospitalization petition that referred to her as his ex-girlfriend. Sinema, who switched from the Democratic Party to become an independent during her Senate term, was the first openly bisexual senator. She became known for her distinctive fashion and an unlikely friendship with Republican Senator Mitt Romney.