By admin 
CAVE CREEK, AZ (AZFamily) — The former bodyguard accused of having an affair with former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is facing felony charges for allegedly breaking into her home and destroying over $200,000 worth of property.
Read more DCS director responds to new state audits following child deaths
Matthew Ammel, 39, was taken into custody on Sept. 18 in connection with the incident that happened late last month.
Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies were called to investigate a report of criminal damage at a Cave Creek home on Sept. 3. According to court documents, Sinema told investigators that her ex-boyfriend, Ammel, damaged her home and personal property while she was out of town four days earlier on Aug. 30.
Sinema alleged that Ammel went inside her home and demanded that she post a video to her X account. Sinema said that Ammel told her that if she didn’t post the video, he would “damage her paintings every 10 minutes” until she did so, court paperwork states.
Sinema did not post the video, and Ammel reportedly removed 22 paintings from the walls and threw them into the backyard swimming pool. Deputies say one additional painting was found near the front entrance of her home and had been “spray-painted with black lettering.”
Ammel reportedly broke several expensive alcohol bottles inside her home, causing glass bits to scatter around the house and swimming pool. Sinema also alleged that Ammel threw a glass bottle at a large mirror mounted on the wall, shattering it.
Deputies found the shattered mirror and multiple paintings at the bottom of the swimming pool or floating at the top, court documents note.
Investigators say the value of the paintings was $123,015. Combined with other damage to the home and swimming pool, the estimate climbs above $200,000.
Sinema provided text messages, video recordings and surveillance video of Ammel damaging the property, investigators said. Deputies reviewed portions of the video and identified Ammel as the suspect.
Ammel was booked for criminal damage last week. He was picked up from a behavioral health center after a petition was filed for an involuntary psychiatric evaluation.
First court appearance
“It is a new matter stemming from the Maricopa County Superior Court for allegedly one count of criminal damage as a class 4 felony,” a judge said during his first court appearance.
But the hearing didn’t go as planned.
“They’re saying that he’s combative and he’s in the hallway,” a Maricopa County sheriff’s deputy said during the recorded hearing.
Video of Ammel’s first court appearance shows he did not physically stand before a judge, and deputies discussed the Army veteran’s state of mind.
The judge did not set a bond. Ammel has since been released from custody and is out with an electronic monitor. He is due back in court next week.
Read more As data centers expand across Arizona, experts weigh water concerns and evolving technology
Security upgrades
On Wednesday, a construction crew was seen outside Sinema’s home building a wall around the property. One worker told Arizona’s Family that they had been out there working for about two weeks.
A neighbor said off camera that Sinema’s plans to step up security this way date back to when she first moved in more than a year ago because she had received threats. The neighbor believes Ammel used to live there with her and recalled seeing his truck and Ammel doing yard work but said that was a while ago.
Sinema-Ammel relationship mired in controversy
The former senator was sued for allegedly having an affair with Ammel, her then-bodyguard, while he was a member of her security team in 2024. The complaint was filed by the former bodyguard’s ex-wife, Heather Ammel, following their separation over the reported affair.
The suit stated that Sinema had asked the guard to serve as her “security” so she could attend a U2 concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas in December 2023. Ammel’s then-wife noticed that Sinema and Ammel had been texting on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, more frequently.
Court papers described how Sinema allegedly got “handsy” on one occasion with her bodyguard at Innings Festival and noted several trips that the two went on, including one in San Francisco, a Taylor Swift concert and an excursion to Napa Valley, California.
In late 2024, Ammel separated from his wife and moved out of their North Carolina home, according to court filings.
Judge clears way for lawsuit under North Carolina’s ‘homewrecker’ law
Sinema acknowledged having a romantic relationship with Ammel, but argued that she can’t be sued in North Carolina because she has no connection to the state.
U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon rejected that argument earlier this month, saying nine text messages Sinema sent Ammel while he was in the state give North Carolina jurisdiction over her. He found it implausible that she was unaware of Ammel’s whereabouts when she texted him.
Sinema described their sexual encounters during a deposition in July. She said the relationship turned sexual on May 27, 2024, during a trip to Napa, California. She said they later had sexual encounters in New York, Washington, Colorado and Arizona, but never in North Carolina.
Where is Sinema now?
Sinema left Congress after the 2024 election. She declined to seek reelection to the Senate, capping a tumultuous single term in which she alienated liberals and left the Democratic Party to become an independent.
She now works for the Washington-based law and lobbying firm Hogan Lovells.
Sinema’s team has been contacted for comment on Ammel’s arrest, but it has not yet responded.
The Associated Press contributed to previous reporting on Sinema.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Read more Pinal County sheriff calls for oversight of Flock cameras: Here’s why