By The Daily Wire (World News) | Created at 2026-09-25 21:31:03 | Updated at 2026-09-25 22:55:59
6 hours ago
Former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s ex-bodyguard and ex-boyfriend allegedly trashed her home after demanding that she post a video on X, threatening to damage a painting every 10 minutes until she complied.
Matthew Ammel threw about 22 paintings into her swimming pool after she refused, according to court documents cited by Fox 10 Phoenix. The contents of the video he wanted her to post have not been publicly disclosed.
Ammel was arrested last week on a charge of aggravated criminal damage as he was released from a mental health facility. The alleged destruction occurred August 30, while Sinema was away from her home in Cave Creek, Arizona.
Sinema told authorities that Ammel also smashed liquor bottles, scattering broken glass throughout the house and pool. Damage is estimated to be more than $200,000. The criminal case comes as the pair’s relationship has drawn a lawsuit from Ammel’s ex-wife and scrutiny from a campaign finance watchdog.
Sinema has acknowledged a romantic relationship with Ammel that she says began in 2024. His ex-wife, Heather Ammel, claims that they had “a good and loving marriage” before Sinema interfered and has sued the former senator for “alienation of affection.” North Carolina is one of a handful of states that allow a spouse to sue a third party for breaking up a marriage.
Sinema sought to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that her relationship with Ammel took place outside North Carolina. But a federal judge rejected her jurisdictional argument earlier this month, allowing the case to proceed.
The lawsuit also alleges Sinema invited Ammel to a Taylor Swift concert, bought him gifts, and paid for psychedelic treatment. Payments to her former bodyguard became an issue after she left the Senate.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a Washington watchdog group, filed a formal complaint in March questioning nearly $2 million in campaign spending after Sinema left office. The complaint raised concerns about staff payments to Ammel and alleged that Sinema spent about $9,000 at resorts in Beverly Hills, Montauk, Wyoming ski country, and the Grand Canyon.
When Sinema left office on January 3, 2025, her campaign account held $4.2 million. By the time her campaign committee filed its termination report, the account had no money remaining.
Questions about her spending predated her Senate exit. Sinema had campaigned on her humble upbringing, often recounting how she lived in an abandoned gas station without running water or electricity.
Between 2021 and 2023, her campaign spent nearly $10,000 at high-end restaurants and almost $20,000 on wine-related expenses. The campaign also paid a luxury New York City car service more than $4,000 for a single day.
Her political career was similarly marked by a break with the image she had cultivated as a candidate. Elected as a Democrat, Sinema proudly touted her status as the first openly bisexual person elected to the U.S. Senate. But she clashed with fellow Democrats over her opposition to a federal minimum wage increase and her defense of tax breaks benefiting the private equity industry.
She left the Democratic Party in 2022, changing her registration to independent, arguing that neither major party reflected her values. One Democratic colleague later called her “the biggest egomaniac in the Senate.”
