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Former U.S. Sen. Kirsten Sinema is facing a lawsuit from the ex-wife of a security guard who accuses the congressman of having a romantic relationship with her husband that led to the breakdown of their marriage.
Heather Ammel is seeking at least $75,000 in damages from Sinema, who serves as Arizona’s independent senator until January 2025.
Amell’s legal documents claim that she and Matthew Amell had a “beautiful and loving marriage” marked by “genuine love and affection” until Sinema stepped in and went after her bodyguard despite knowing her marital status.
The lawsuit details that the lawmaker’s security director hired Amell after he retired from the Army in 2022. He subsequently accompanied Sinema on numerous trips, including to Napa Valley, Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia.
In early 2024, Heather Ammel reportedly caught her husband and Sinema exchanging “romantic and lewd” messages via the Signal app.
By that summer, her husband stopped wearing his wedding ring, legal documents say, and Sinema reportedly appointed him a national security researcher in her Senate office, although he continued to work as a bodyguard for her campaign.
Sinema also paid for psychedelic therapy for Amer, who has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and traumatic brain injuries related to his military deployments in Afghanistan and the Middle East, the lawsuit said.
Sinema and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit was filed quietly in late 2025 in Moore County, North Carolina. This week, the case was transferred to federal court, attracting global attention.
North Carolina is one of the few states that allows a jilted spouse to sue for “alienation of affection” to seek damages from a third party who caused the breakdown of the marriage.
Sinema is leaving Congress after the 2024 elections. She declined to seek re-election to the Senate, ending a tumultuous single term in which she alienated liberals and left the Democratic Party to become an independent.
She now works for Hogan Lovells, a Washington-based legal and lobbying firm. She lobbied for data center development and research funding for the psychedelic drug ibogaine.