Kyrsten Sinema Court Filings: Former Senator Admits S*x With Married Bodyguard While in Office

Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema testified that she repeatedly had s*x with her then-married security guard while she was in office representing Arizona, according to federal court filings tied to an alienation of affection lawsuit filed against her in North Carolina. The lawsuit, filed by Heather Ammel last year, accuses Sinema of interfering in and contributing to the breakup of her 14-year marriage to Matthew Ammel, a former member of Sinema's security detail.

What Does the Lawsuit Allege?

Heather Ammel's complaint, originally filed in North Carolina in September, alleges that Sinema, who identifies as bis*xual, "began to willfully and intentionally seduce, entice, and alienate the affections" of Matthew Ammel after he was hired to her security team in 2022. New York: Registered S*x Offender Uses Social Media and Free Tattoos To Lure and S*xually Assault Minors.

The case was brought under North Carolina's rare legal statute that allows a deserted spouse to seek damages from a third party for the destruction of a marital relationship. The suit alleges Sinema engaged in lengthy text exchanges with Ammel, including sending photos of herself wrapped in a towel and suggesting he bring MDMA on a work trip so she could "guide him through a psychedelic experience."

What Has Sinema Said in Her Deposition?

Sinema's legal team moved the case to federal court and sought dismissal there, arguing her relationship with Ammel occurred outside North Carolina and that the federal court lacked personal jurisdiction over her. Sinema, who is unmarried, said in a July 31 deposition that she first had s*x with Ammel around Memorial Day 2024. US: Physics and Astronomy Teacher Caught Having S*x With Student in His Classroom in Texas; Arrested.

She told lawyers for Heather that the romance began with a late-night kiss in the backyard of an Airbnb during that Memorial Day weekend, and that they had s*x for the first time that night. Sinema said she and Ammel were staying at the property with her friends, along with another member of her security detail.

Their next encounter came in June when Sinema attended the wedding of CNN anchor Jessica Dean in New York City. Dean married Alex Katz on June 15, 2024, at a venue in midtown Manhattan. Sinema and Ammel had separate hotel rooms but were intimate in Sinema's room, according to her deposition.

The filings outline encounters and communication across multiple states, including California, Arizona, New York, and Washington, D.C., with the former senator acknowledging that the relationship became "romantic and intimate" and involved extensive communication through phone calls, emails and encrypted messaging apps while she was serving in Congress.

What Else Has Emerged From the Court Documents?

Sinema also said Ammel had told her as early as January 2024 that he wanted a divorce, recalling that he said Heather had hit him and thrown a phone in his face before telling her, "I got to get a divorce."

According to the lawsuit, the affair lasted between the fall of 2023 and the end of 2024, during which the pair allegedly attended numerous concerts together, including Green Day, Taylor Swift and U2. The complaint also alleges Sinema gave Ammel a job as a national security fellow in her Senate office while he continued working for her campaign as a bodyguard, and that she paid for psychedelic treatment related to his struggles with post-traumatic stress, substance abuse and traumatic brain injuries tied to his military deployments in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Background on the Case and Sinema's Political Career

The lawsuit was quietly filed late last year in Moore County, North Carolina, and captured global attention this week when it was moved to federal court. Heather is seeking damages in the case, while Sinema has tried to dismiss the suit, arguing the alleged affair did not actually take place in North Carolina, where the Ammels lived.

From 2013 to 2019, Sinema represented Arizona's 9th district in the House of Representatives before serving one term in the U.S. Senate, from 2019 to 2025. She left Congress after the 2024 election, declining to seek reelection following a single term in which she alienated liberals and left the Democratic Party to become an independent in December 2022.

Sinema and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2026 05:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).