Full Breakdown
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s Ex-Bodyguard Charged After $200,000 Home-Destruction Spree
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Alleged Rampage at Sinema’s Cave Creek Residence
On August 30, Matthew Ammel, 39, entered the former senator’s Cave Creek, Arizona, home while she was out of town and allegedly threatened to damage her artwork every ten minutes unless she posted a video to X. When Sinema refused, Ammel is accused of pulling 22 paintings from the walls and throwing them into the backyard pool, spray-painting another, shattering a wall-mounted mirror with a bottle, and breaking multiple expensive liquor bottles. Court documents estimate the paintings’ value at $123,015 and total property damage at more than $200,000.
Background & Context: Affair, “Homewrecker” Lawsuit, and Political Aftermath
Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent who left the Senate in 2025 after a single term, publicly acknowledged a romantic relationship with Ammel, who had been a member of her Senate security detail beginning in 2022. The affair became public after Ammel’s former wife, Heather Ammel, filed a civil suit in North Carolina under the state’s “homewrecker” law, alleging that Sinema’s affair destroyed her 14-year marriage. Sinema denied the allegations and requested a jury trial.
Data & Statistics
- 22 paintings thrown into the pool
- $123,015 estimated value of the damaged paintings (court documents)
- > $200,000 total estimated damage, including broken mirror and liquor bottles (court filings)
- 10-minute threat interval cited in the alleged ultimatum (court paperwork)
Official Statements & Responses
- Sinema supplied deputies with text messages, home-security video, and surveillance footage showing Ammel’s actions.
- Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies, responding in early September, described the scene as “a trail of destruction” that included floating artwork, a shattered mirror and spray-painted canvases.
- A deputy testified during Ammel’s first hearing that the suspect was “combative” and was being held in the hallway, prompting the court to release him without bond but with electronic monitoring.
- Sinema’s legal team has declined comment on the criminal case, while her representatives confirmed she continues her role as a senior adviser at Hogan Lovells and as a professor at Arizona State University.
Criticism & Opposition
Political consultant Stan Barnes called the incident “unseemly” and “salacious,” saying it does not help anyone’s reputation.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It’s unseemly. It’s salacious, and it doesn’t help anyone’s reputation,” — Stan Barnes, political consultant
Timeline
- May 27 2024 – Sinema says the relationship turned sexual during a trip to Napa, California (deposition).
- July 31 – Sinema recounts a sexual encounter in a deposition (court record).
- August 30 – Alleged property-damage incident at Sinema’s home.
- Early September – Deputies investigate the scene and collect video evidence.
- September 17 – Ammel is arrested after being taken from a behavioral-health center.
- October 1 – Ammel is scheduled to appear in court on the felony criminal-damage charge.
What’s Next
Ammel faces a class-4 felony charge of criminal damage with a domestic-violence designation; the case is set for a hearing on October 1. Sinema’s civil lawsuit in North Carolina proceeds. Both parties have declined further comment as the legal processes unfold.
