WASHINGTON: Former US senator Kyrsten Sinema has admitted in court filings to having a “romantic and intimate” relationship with a married man who was part of her Senate security detail during her final year in office—but argues that his estranged wife cannot sue her under North Carolina’s “homewrecker” law.
The admission comes in response to a federal lawsuit filed by Heather Ammel, who alleges Sinema deliberately interfered in her marriage to Matthew Joseph Ammel.
Heather claims she discovered romantic messages, including a photo of Sinema allegedly wrapped in a towel, and accuses Sinema of pursuing her husband despite knowing he was married.
In court documents filed on March 12, Sinema asked a federal judge to dismiss the case, stating that all encounters and communications occurred outside North Carolina.
She maintained that she had no knowledge of Matthew’s daily life in North Carolina until December 2023—over a year after he began serving as her security detail—and that any interactions were primarily work-related.
Sinema detailed several encounters with Matthew in multiple states, including California, New York, Washington D.C., Colorado, and Arizona.
She acknowledged being “physically intimate” with him but denied sending the towel photo or instructing him to bring MDMA for a psychedelic experience.
Campaign finance documents show Matthew received nearly $9,000 in October 2025 from Sinema’s former campaign committee, with total payments exceeding $100,000 after she left office in January 2025. A separate complaint by a watchdog group alleges improper use of campaign funds for personal expenses, including international travel, hotels, and gifts.
The North Carolina lawsuit highlights the state’s unique “alienation of affection” law, which allows spouses to sue third parties for affairs.
Sinema argues the lawsuit should be dismissed because the relationship occurred entirely outside the state.
The case has renewed public attention on Sinema, the Democrat-turned-independent who served one Senate term after winning a competitive Arizona seat in 2018.
Known for her bipartisan deal-making, she drew criticism from her party for blocking certain legislative priorities during the Biden administration.
Since leaving the Senate, Sinema has worked as a senior adviser at law and lobbying firm Hogan Lovells and has advocated publicly for psychedelic medicine, including sharing her experience with ibogaine treatment for dementia prevention.
