The onetime bodyguard and romantic partner of former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has been arrested in Maricopa County, Arizona, accused of breaking into her home and destroying roughly $200,000 worth of artwork and high-end alcohol.
Matthew Ammel, 39, was taken into custody Sept. 17 after being released from a mental health facility, according to a probable cause document. It was not immediately clear when he entered the facility or why he was admitted.
According to charging documents, the incident unfolded Aug. 30 while Sinema, I-Ariz., was out of town. Ammel allegedly reached out to the former senator and demanded she post a video to her X account, warning that if she refused, he would damage a painting every 10 minutes.
Sinema told law enforcement she refused.
What followed, according to the probable cause statement, was a destructive spree. Ammel allegedly pulled down about 22 paintings and tossed them into the swimming pool. Sinema told authorities one painting was spray-painted with black lettering and left near the front entrance.
She also reported finding shards of glass from smashed alcohol bottles scattered throughout the house and in the pool.
Ammel was charged with aggravated criminal damage and released on his own recognizance. He is due in court in early October. It is not clear whether he has retained a lawyer.
The arrest is the latest chapter in a saga that has already landed the pair in headlines.
Earlier this month, a North Carolina judge ruled that Sinema can be sued under the state’s so-called “home-wrecker” law over her relationship with Ammel, who was married at the time.
North Carolina is one of only a handful of states that allow spurned spouses to sue for “alienation of affection,” seeking compensation from a third party blamed for the breakup of their marriage. Aggrieved spouses have up to three years to file, and the proceedings are separate from divorce cases.
According to Cornell Law School, a jilted spouse must show the accused took steps a reasonable person would expect to end the marriage, and that those steps did in fact end it.
The stakes can be steep. In 2025, a North Carolina influencer was ordered to pay $1.75 million for destroying her manager’s marriage, WRAL reported.
Sinema has acknowledged the affair but argued she has no connection to North Carolina and cannot be sued there. U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon rejected that argument, pointing to nine text messages she sent Ammel while he was in the state. The judge ruled the suit can move forward.
The lawsuit, brought by Ammel’s ex-wife, seeks financial damages from the former senator. According to the complaint, the couple shared “a good and loving marriage” with “genuine love and affection” before Sinema pursued Matthew Ammel despite knowing he was married.
Ammel joined Sinema’s security team after retiring from the Army in 2022. Court records show he traveled with her at home and abroad for several years. He was later given a position as a national security fellow in her Senate office while continuing to serve as her bodyguard.
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