A former U.S. Senator is at the center of a scandal following the surfacing of court documents detailing a previously undisclosed romantic relationship. The filings reveal Senator Kyrsten Sinema admitted to an intimate affair with a married member of her security detail while still in office.
The allegations stem from a lawsuit filed by the security officer’s ex-wife, who claims the senator knowingly interfered with her 14-year marriage. The lawsuit, brought under North Carolina’s rarely invoked “alienation of affection” law, seeks damages for the emotional and relational harm caused by the affair.
According to sworn declarations submitted in federal court, Sinema acknowledged the relationship with security officer Matthew Ammel became “romantic and intimate” in May 2024. This occurred while Ammel was assigned to her security detail during an event in Sonoma, California.
The affair reportedly continued for months, spanning multiple cities across the United States. Subsequent encounters allegedly took place in New York City, Washington D.C., Aspen, Colorado, and Phoenix, Arizona, before Ammel separated from his wife later that year.
Court records indicate at least six intimate encounters between Sinema and Ammel across these locations. The filings detail a pattern of communication including phone calls, emails, and encrypted messages alongside the physical relationship.
Sinema’s legal strategy doesn’t dispute the affair itself. Instead, her filings argue the case should be dismissed because the alleged interference occurred outside of North Carolina, the state where the alienation of affection law applies.
The ex-wife’s lawsuit hinges on proving the marriage was once loving and viable, that the affair demonstrably destroyed that affection, and that Sinema directly caused the breakdown of the marital bond. The case presents a unique legal challenge under a statute rarely seen in modern courts.
The complaint accuses Sinema of “intentional and malicious interference” in Ammel’s marriage, seeking $25,000 in damages. The filings paint a picture of a sustained and deliberate relationship that ultimately led to the dissolution of a long-term marriage.
