Kyrsten Sinema testifies about affair with bodyguard as ‘homewrecker’ lawsuit nears ruling

Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema testified under oath for the first time about her affair with Matthew Ammel, a member of her security detail who was married at the time. The deposition excerpts, which detail Sinema and Ammel’s sexual relationship, were filed in federal court ahead of a hearing that could decide whether his ex-wife’s lawsuit survives.

Sinema was deposed July 31 in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Heather Ammel’s alienation-of-affection suit under the state’s “homewrecker law.” Ammel is seeking at least $75,000, arguing the former Arizona senator “willfully and intentionally” contributed to the collapse of her 14-year marriage.

North Carolina is one of a handful of states that still allows alienation-of-affection lawsuits, known as “homewrecker” suits. The law lets a spouse sue a third party, not their partner, but the person they had an affair with, for contributing to the breakdown of a marriage.

Verdicts in North Carolina have reached into the millions.

The testimony of Sinema’s sexual relationship details how the relationship started on Memorial Day in 2024 and continued in New York, Washington, D.C., Aspen, Colorado, and Phoenix, all while Sinema was still representing Arizona in the U.S. Senate. Ammel was on Sinema’s payroll and received additional salary from her campaign accounts.

She acknowledged she knew Ammel was married with three children throughout the affair.

The case now hinges on a single 13-word Signal message Sinema sent Oct. 3, 2024: “I miss you; Putting my hand on your heart; I’ll see you soon.”

Phone metadata shows it reached Ammel while he was in North Carolina. That is a critical detail because the lawsuit was filed there and the court can only hear the case if Sinema’s conduct had a connection to the state.

Sinema’s attorneys argue it is the only communication that reached Ammel in the state, and that it alone is not enough to establish jurisdiction.

A judge weighs the evidence at a hearing Wednesday.

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