Jilted Wife Seeks $75,000 From Former Senator Over Husband’s Affair Under Rare North Carolina Law

Former U.S. Senator from Arizona Kyrsten Sinema has found herself at the center of a high-profile legal battle. During dramatic court proceedings in federal court, she publicly confirmed that she had been romantically involved with her married bodyguard, Matthew Ammel.

The bodyguard’s ex-wife, Heather Ammel, sued the former politician under a rare North Carolina law known as alienation of affection, which allows a spouse to seek damages from a third party accused of interfering with a marriage. The plaintiff is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.

The 50-year-old Sinema, who left the Senate in 2025, acknowledged that she had a romantic and sexual relationship with Ammel in 2024. According to her, the two grew closer while traveling to different parts of the country, including California, New York, Washington and Colorado.

The case has brought intimate messages exchanged through the encrypted messaging app Signal to light, including messages in which Sinema reportedly admitted that she reached for his arms in her sleep, as well as photographs that the bodyguard’s ex-wife considered flirtatious. The former senator herself maintained that she did not attempt to conceal their correspondence by using the app’s auto-delete feature.

Sinema’s attorneys have argued that the case should be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction in North Carolina, claiming that most of the couple’s interactions took place outside the state.

Heather Ammel told the court that she felt completely powerless in the face of the former congresswoman’s wealth and influence, accusing her of destroying her family. The federal judge took time to prepare a written ruling on the issue of jurisdiction.