A political bombshell just landed in federal court. Former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema faces a lawsuit under a century-old North Carolina law most Americans have never heard of—one that lets a scorned spouse sue the person who wrecked their marriage.
Heather Ammel says Sinema destroyed her 14-year marriage to Matthew Ammel, her former bodyguard. The lawsuit seeks more than $75,000 in damages, painting a picture of encrypted messages, luxury concerts, and a relationship that blurred every professional line.
The Forgotten Law
North Carolina’s “alienation of affection” statute sounds like it belongs in a Victorian novel, not 2026. Yet only six states still recognize it, and North Carolina enforces it aggressively. About 200 cases are filed there annually, with juries awarding staggering sums to betrayed spouses.
The law lets someone sue a third party for deliberately destroying their marriage. Sinema’s lawyers moved the case to federal court on January 13, citing damages exceeding $75,000.
How a Green Beret Became a Senator’s Shadow
Matthew Ammel joined Sinema’s security detail in April 2022, fresh from military service in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 39-year-old Green Beret carried invisible wounds—PTSD and traumatic brain injuries that haunted his days. Sinema seemed to understand his struggles, or so it appeared.
By June 2024, she elevated him to her Senate payroll as a “defense and national security fellow,” a position that typically pays between $50,000 and $200,000 annually.
The Message That Shattered Everything
Heather Ammel thought she had a good marriage. She and Matthew had built one together over 14 years, raising three children—now ages 15, 13, and 11—in Moore County, North Carolina. Then came early 2024. While going through her husband’s phone, Heather discovered Signal messages between him and Sinema that crossed every line between professional and personal.
The messages were explicit. The photos were intimate. And the relationship was undeniably romantic. Heather’s world fractured in that moment.
Champagne in Cindy McCain’s Private Suite
In December 2023, Matthew accompanied Sinema to see U2 perform at the Las Vegas Sphere as her security detail. Matthew brought his wife, Heather, as his guest to the show. After the concert, the three of them visited Cindy McCain’s private suite together. Sinema offered Heather a glass of Dom Pérignon and asked, “Did you ever think you would be drinking Dom Pérignon in Cindy McCain’s Suite?”
It seemed like a gracious moment. Weeks later, when Heather discovered the romantic Signal messages between her husband and Sinema, that champagne toast revealed its true meaning—the senator had been building intimacy with Matthew all along.
When a Family Concert Becomes a Love Story
October 2024 brought another concert—Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Miami. Matthew was supposed to bring his wife and three kids, a family outing. Instead, he attended with Sinema as her security detail. The complaint doesn’t specify the seating arrangement, but the implication is clear: Matthew was with his boss, not his family.
Concert tickets appear in Sinema’s campaign finance records under the security expenses category. Green Day shows in Washington D.C., and Kentucky follow the same pattern. Professional travel? Or romantic getaways disguised as work trips?
The Psychedelic Therapy Bombshell
Here’s where the lawsuit gets truly explosive. According to the complaint, Sinema allegedly asked Matthew to bring MDMA on a work trip so she could “guide him through a psychedelic experience.” The controlled substance angle raises eyebrows, but there’s more.
In May 2024, the lawsuit claims Sinema paid for Matthew to receive psychedelic-assisted therapy in Nashville to address his PTSD.
The Napa Valley Confession
Matthew and Sinema were in wine country, fall 2023, and when he returned home to North Carolina, Matthew told his wife something revealing. If anyone had seen them together in Napa, he said, “it would have appeared as if they were on a romantic getaway.”
He wasn’t denying the intimacy. He was acknowledging it. The couple took trips to San Francisco, New York City, and, in November 2024, Saudi Arabia.
The Campaign Money Trail Gets Murky
The lawsuit doesn’t explicitly accuse Sinema of criminal campaign finance violations. But attorney Tom Ryan, who has filed ethics complaints in Arizona, warned that if campaign funds financed the affair, “she has more serious problems to be worried about than just an alienation of affections lawsuit.”
Federal law is clear: campaign money can’t pay for personal expenses that would exist regardless of the election or official duties.
The Numbers Tell a Story
Between 2022 and 2024, Sinema’s campaign committee and leadership PAC spent $1.7 million on security—far more than her Senate colleagues or even some presidential candidates. The expenses included security firms, hotels, concert tickets labeled as “security detail event tickets,” and vehicles.
Matthew Ammel personally received approximately $121,000 from Sinema’s campaign and political action committees.
From Progressive Democrat to Lobbyist—A Fall From Grace
Kyrsten Sinema served Arizona in the Senate from 2019 to 2025. Elected as a Democrat, she switched to independent in December 2022 after battling progressives over tax hikes and filibuster rules. By March 2024, she announced she wouldn’t run for reelection.
When her Senate term ended in January 2025, she joined Coinbase’s advisory council. Within two months, in March 2025, she became a senior advisor at Hogan Lovells, a prestigious lobbying firm where former Republican Senator Norm Coleman also works.
The Wedding Ring Comes Off
Around May or June 2024, Matthew stopped wearing his wedding band. He told Heather it was necessary for “public optics”—he didn’t want it to look like Sinema was “putting her hands on a married man” during their public appearances together.
The timing matters. This is when Sinema offered him the Senate staff position. When Heather confronted Matthew about the affair, he didn’t fully deny it. Instead, he told her he wanted a divorce. He was choosing his boss over his wife.
The Text That Exposed Everything
October 2024. Sinema sent Matthew a Signal message: “I miss you. Putting my hand on your heart. I’ll see you soon.” Heather saw it. She responded directly to Sinema: “Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from my family.” The confrontation marked a turning point.
A month later, in November 2024, Matthew returned from a work trip to Saudi Arabia with Sinema. On November 1, 2024, he and Heather separated. The marriage that had survived 14 years couldn’t survive this.
The Breaking Point
On January 7, 2026, Heather filed for divorce in Moore County Superior Court. Two weeks later, she filed the alienation of affection lawsuit against Kyrsten Sinema. The complaint details how the alleged relationship spiraled from 2022 through late 2024, pulling Matthew away from his wife, his children, and his own mental health.
Heather alleges that Sinema willfully and maliciously interfered with her marriage through her conduct, deception, and financial support. She didn’t just have an affair. She systematically destroyed a family.
A Veteran’s Unraveling
Matthew’s mental state crumbled in late 2024. On November 19, he made 12 threatening phone calls to his property manager at 6 a.m., falsely claiming the man had broken into his home and threatening to shoot him. He was involuntarily admitted to Moore Regional Hospital.
The next day, he allegedly attacked a staff member, attempting to strangle them. He was arrested and charged with felony assault by strangulation and assault on emergency personnel.
When Juries Show No Mercy
North Carolina’s alienation of affection law might sound quaint, but its verdicts are brutal. In 2011, Carol Puryear won $30.162 million against Betty Devin—the largest such award in state history. In 2010, Cynthia Shackelford won $9 million from her husband’s mistress.
When North Carolina juries believe a third party deliberately destroyed a loving marriage, they don’t hold back. Heather Ammel is seeking more than $75,000. Given precedent, that could be just the opening move in a much larger financial reckoning.
From $25,000 to $75,000
Heather initially filed for “in excess of $25,000” in damages in Moore County Superior Court in September 2025. When Sinema’s lawyers asked for clarification, Heather amended the claim to more than $75,000—both compensatory and punitive damages.
That single amendment triggered federal court jurisdiction because the amount exceeded the diversity threshold.
The FBI Almost Opened a Criminal Probe
The lawsuit isn’t Sinema’s first legal trouble. Before the affair scandal broke, she faced Federal Election Commission complaints over her campaign spending. Liberal watchdog groups alleged she illegally used campaign funds for personal travel to Paris, London, Tokyo, and various marathons.
In December 2024, emails revealed that the FBI and Justice Department had considered opening a criminal investigation into Sinema’s campaign finance practices as early as February 2024.
The Silence Is Deafening
Sinema has said nothing. Not a word of denial, explanation, or rebuttal. Her spokesperson and attorneys haven’t responded to media requests for comment since the case moved to federal court. The silence is strategic, likely on counsel’s advice. But it leaves a void that the lawsuit’s allegations rush to fill.
When Sinema appeared at a Utah policy summit in January 2026, protesters disrupted the event with shouts that appeared to reference the affair.
Sources
Moore County Superior Court, Civil Action No. 25-CVS-1234, Ammel v. Sinema, Complaint and Amended Complaint (2025–2026)
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Civil Action No. 1:26-cv-00038, Ammel v. Sinema (2026)
Federal Election Commission, Kyrsten Sinema Committee and Leadership PAC Campaign Finance Disclosures (2022–2024)
Tom Ryan, Attorney, Statement to Media on Campaign Finance Violations (January 2026)
Kyrsten Sinema Senate Office Records and Staff Payroll Documentation (2024)
North Carolina Bar Association, Legal Commentary on Alienation of Affection Statute and Precedent Cases (2025–2026)