Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is providing her most detailed account yet of the affair at the center of a North Carolina lawsuit, acknowledging under oath that she had sex multiple times with her married former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel.
During a July 31 deposition, Sinema said their physical relationship began around Memorial Day 2024 at an Airbnb in Napa, California. She later recalled intimate encounters in New York City, Washington, D.C., Aspen and Phoenix, according to PEOPLE’s review of federal court filings.
Sinema also acknowledged knowing that Ammel was married and had three children during the relationship. His ex-wife, Heather Ammel, is suing Sinema for more than $75,000 under North Carolina’s alienation-of-affection law, alleging that the former senator intentionally interfered in the couple’s 14-year marriage.
Sinema is not denying that the relationship became romantic and sexual. Her immediate defense instead centers on jurisdiction. She argues that the conduct underlying the lawsuit did not occur in North Carolina and that the state’s federal court therefore lacks personal jurisdiction over her. An evidentiary hearing on that dispute is scheduled for Aug. 19.
Sinema Says Their Physical Relationship Began in Napa
Sinema testified that she and Matthew Ammel were staying at an Airbnb in Napa around Memorial Day 2024 when their relationship first became sexual. “We were outside. Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex,” she said in the deposition transcript cited by PEOPLE.
Sinema said they were intimate again about a month later during a trip to New York City, where she was attending CNN anchor Jessica Dean’s wedding. Although Sinema and Ammel had separate hotel rooms, she testified that he came to hers and they were intimate.
Additional encounters followed in her Washington apartment in July, during an August trip to Aspen and at her Phoenix home in October, according to the deposition. Those admissions expand on a sworn declaration Sinema filed in March while seeking dismissal of the lawsuit.
The Legal Fight Is About North Carolina’s Power to Hear the Case
Heather Ammel alleges that she and Matthew had a loving marriage before Sinema interfered with it. Sinema disputes her legal responsibility for the marriage’s collapse and has asked the federal court to dismiss the case for lack of personal jurisdiction.
The Associated Press reported that Sinema’s attorneys argue her romantic conduct had no sufficient connection to North Carolina. Her March declaration placed the physical encounters in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Colorado and Arizona.
Heather’s attorneys disagree that Sinema’s contacts with North Carolina were insufficient and have pursued evidence on the jurisdiction question, including depositions and communications involving the relationship.
The case was originally filed in North Carolina state court in September 2025 and was later moved to federal court. In May, U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon ordered limited discovery specifically addressing jurisdiction, with a July 31 deadline, before setting the Aug. 19 evidentiary hearing in Winston-Salem.
Heather Says Sinema Later Came to North Carolina After Ammel’s Arrest
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A separate episode involving Ammel has now emerged through documents connected to the civil dispute. Heather claims that Sinema traveled to North Carolina after Ammel was arrested in November 2025, helped secure his release and then moved him from his rental property to her home in Arizona.
According to TMZ’s review of court documents, Ammel had been involuntarily committed to a medical facility on Nov. 19, 2025, and was arrested the following day after an altercation with a physician.
Ammel was charged with assault by strangulation and assault against emergency personnel. Authorities alleged that he forced the physician to the floor and wrapped an arm around the man’s neck. Court documents cited by TMZ said the physician suffered swelling, welts, bruising and cuts.
TMZ reported that Ammel pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2026 and was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation. The sentence also required him to continue receiving mental health treatment, perform 48 hours of community service, possess no firearms during probation and have no contact with the victim.