Former Democratic turned Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was hit with a lawsuit from the ex-wife of her former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, according to documents filed in a North Carolina Federal Court.
Heather Ammel alleged Sinema was involved in an affair with her then-husband, Matthew Ammel, according to the lawsuit. She claimed Sinema’s allegedly inappropriate behavior with her husband, which included lavish trips, directly contributed to their separation in 2024. The couple was married for 14 years, according to the documents.
The lawsuit was filed late in 2025 and moved to a federal court in January, WRAL reported.
Along with allegedly taking the former member of her staff on frequent solo rendezvous, Heather Ammel accused the former Senator of paying for her ex-husband to obtain “psychedelic treatment.”
The lawsuit cited alleged messages between Sinema and Matthew Ammel. He said he was intimidated by Sinema, and she allegedly responded that she seeks only to be “intimidating to her opponents,” according to the documents.
She is accused of advising him to bring MDMA drugs, also known as ecstasy or molly, on a work trip so she could “guide him through a psychedelic experience.” (RELATED: Gonna Be A Sinema-tic: Thorn In Democrats’ Side Back To haunt Her Party Colleagues)
Sinema told her security guard to bring molly with him and that she’d guide him through it. Now his ex-wife is suing her. pic.twitter.com/FHNzE7PGS0
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) January 15, 2026
In May 2024, Sinema allegedly paid for Matthew Ammel to receive psychedelic treatment in Nashville, Tennessee, before flying him out to Napa Valley, California, to provide security for a concert. The lawsuit further claimed that she and Matthew Ammel resided together in a private Airbnb.
Sinema has spoken out in the past about her support for Ibogaine, a psychedelic which is developed from the African shrub plant, Politico previously reported.
The lawsuit claims that early in 2024, the two messaged each other while Matthew Ammel was at a baseball game. Matthew Ammell allegedly wrote that he wanted to start a “f*ck the troops” chant, and Sinema allegedly responded that she would “f*ck the hot ones.”
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 11: U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) wears a protective mask while arriving to the U.S. Capitol on December 11, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
In June 2024, Sinema allegedly offered Matthew Ammel a position in her U.S. Senate staff as a Defense and National Security fellow, the documents read. (RELATED: ‘The Hypocrisy Is The Point’: Kyrsten Sinema Is Having The Last Laugh On The Filibuster)
Before resigning, Sinema’s former head of security expressed concerns in 2023 that Sinema was allegedly having “sexual relations with other security members,” the lawsuit stated.
Heather Ammel also claims her husband suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries as a result of his prior job in the U.S. Army.
Sinema left the Democratic party and registered as an Independent in 2022 during her time in the Senate. In 2024, she announced she would not be running for reelection. She is a senior advisor at a Washington, D.C.-based law firm as of publication.
Sinema did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, according to Politico.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to clarify when the lawsuit was filed.
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