Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema has acknowledged having a “romantic and intimate” relationship with a married member of her security detail during her final year in office, but she is fighting a lawsuit filed by the guard’s estranged wife who claims Sinema broke up her marriage.

The 'Homewrecker' Lawsuit and Sinema's Defense

Sinema, who represented Arizona in the Senate, made the admission in court filings submitted on March 12, responding to a federal lawsuit brought by Heather Ammel. Ammel accuses the former senator of “alienation of affection,” often called a “homewrecker” law, which is still enforceable in North Carolina where Ammel resided with her husband and children. Heather Ammel is seeking more than $75,000 in damages, citing severe emotional pain.

The lawsuit claims Sinema deliberately interfered with Heather Ammel’s “good and loving marriage” to Matthew Joseph Ammel, pursuing him despite knowing he was married. Matthew Ammel, a U.S. Army veteran, had served as part of Sinema’s Senate security detail, a role that involved frequent travel.

Sinema’s defense hinges on a jurisdictional argument: she contends the lawsuit should be dismissed because her relationship with Matthew Ammel “occurred exclusively outside of North Carolina.” In sworn statements, Sinema claimed she has no connection to North Carolina. She stated she was “physically intimate” with Matthew Ammel in four states—California, New York, Colorado, Arizona—as well as Washington D.C., but never once within North Carolina. The first documented intimate encounter took place in Sonoma, California, in late May 2024, roughly two months after Sinema announced she wouldn't seek re-election.

Furthermore, Sinema asserted that between early 2023 and November 1, 2024, “100%” of her phone calls and email communications with Matthew occurred when he was outside North Carolina. Most of those messages were about his security work for her. She also said she didn't know Matthew lived in North Carolina with his family until December 2023—over a year after he started working her security detail. Sinema stated she had no knowledge of his “day-to-day” whereabouts unless it was directly related to his travel for her security. Matthew Ammel’s own declaration in the case states his relationship with his wife ended in October 2024.

Allegations of Misconduct and Denials

Heather Ammel’s lawsuit details a series of alleged behaviors that “exceeded the bounds of a normal working relationship.” She claims to have discovered messages between her husband and Sinema that were “romantic and lascivious,” including a photo of the then-senator wrapped in a towel. The lawsuit also alleges Sinema offered to help Matthew Ammel with his mental health challenges, suggesting he bring MDMA drugs on a work trip so she could “guide him through a psychedelic experience.” Matthew Ammel is known to have struggled with post-traumatic stress, substance abuse, and traumatic brain injuries from his military deployments.

But Sinema denies some of these claims. She stated in her filing that she never sent a photo of herself “wrapped in a towel.” She also claimed to have “no recollection” of sending “any message” to Matthew Ammel suggesting he bring MDMA drugs for a psychedelic experience. Matthew Ammel’s declaration in the case does not address the allegations of an affair.

Campaign finance documents show that Matthew Ammel received nearly $9,000 in October from Sinema’s old campaign committee. He also appears to have been paid, at least in part, from her campaign account from mid-2024 to late 2025. Matthew Ammel became a Senate employee in June 2024, according to his filing.

Congressional Rules and Ethical Context

The alleged affair highlights a major gap: the House banned lawmakers from dating their staff, but the Senate never did. Back in 2018, the House passed a rule banning members from having sexual relationships with their staff or committee employees.

The Senate never passed the same rule, so senators could legally date their staff. So if Sinema had been in the House, she'd have broken the rules. In the Senate, she didn't. Still, dating a married subordinate raises serious questions about abuse of power and professional ethics in politics.

The case shows how North Carolina's 'homewrecker' law creates a unique legal situation where

Heather Ammel’s lawsuit seeks over $75,000 in damages from Sinema for alleged “severe emotional pain,” among other things.