Matthew Ammel, the former bodyguard and onetime romantic partner of ex-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, faces felony charges after allegedly breaking into her Cave Creek, Arizona, home and destroying artwork, liquor, and property worth more than $200,000.
Ammel allegedly forced his way into Sinema's home on Aug. 30 while she was away, then contacted her with a demand: post a video to her account on X, the social media platform. When Sinema refused, Ammel threatened to destroy one of her paintings for every few minutes she failed to comply, the Washington Examiner reported, citing a redacted police report.
He followed through. Ammel allegedly hurled 22 paintings into Sinema's swimming pool and defaced at least one piece with black spray paint. The damaged artwork alone carried an estimated value of $123,015. He also smashed expensive bottles of alcohol throughout the home, according to the New York Post.
Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the property on Sept. 3 and confirmed the destruction firsthand. Paintings were still submerged in the pool. Shattered glass from liquor bottles littered the residence.
Law enforcement arrested Ammel on Sept. 17 on felony criminal damage charges. During a court hearing, a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy described the scene in blunt terms.
"They're saying that he's combative and he's in the hallway."
That was a deputy's account to the court during Ammel's hearing, painting a picture of a suspect who remained uncooperative even after his arrest.
The total property damage exceeded $200,000, a figure drawn from the police report. Specific charges beyond felony criminal damage have not been publicly detailed. Whether Ammel remained in custody after the hearing is unclear from available court records.
Ammel was not a stranger to Sinema or to public controversy surrounding her. He served as her bodyguard and became her romantic partner, a relationship that has already created significant legal fallout. A federal judge allowed a "homewrecker" lawsuit against Sinema to proceed, filed by Ammel's ex-wife, who alleged that the former senator's affair destroyed her marriage.
Sinema herself has addressed the relationship under oath. She admitted to the affair with her married bodyguard as the ex-wife's lawsuit headed to federal court, a disclosure that drew national attention and added a personal scandal to a political career already defined by ideological unpredictability.
The alleged break-in now adds a criminal dimension to a saga that had been playing out in civil court. Just The News reported that Ammel demanded the social media video and threatened to destroy a painting every five minutes Sinema failed to comply, a slightly different interval than the ten-minute window described in the original police report summary, though both accounts agree on the core pattern of threats tied to artwork destruction.
Sinema, who left the Senate in January 2025 after declining to seek reelection, had already testified about the affair as the civil case moved forward. The criminal charges against Ammel now raise separate questions about the nature and end of their relationship, and whether earlier warning signs were missed.
The sheer scale of the alleged destruction stands out. Twenty-two paintings submerged in a residential pool. Black spray paint on artwork. Liquor bottles smashed across multiple rooms. Deputies who arrived days later still found canvases underwater.
The $123,015 figure attached to the artwork alone accounts for more than half of the total damage estimate. What the remaining losses covered, furniture, fixtures, structural damage, or other personal property, has not been specified in public filings or police summaries.
Nor has anyone explained what video Ammel wanted Sinema to post, or why he believed a social media demand backed by property destruction would produce the result he wanted. The police report, at least in its redacted form, does not answer that question.
No public statement from Ammel or any attorney representing him has surfaced. Sinema has not commented publicly on the incident.
When someone trusted with protecting a public figure allegedly turns around and ransacks her home, the failure is personal, but the questions it raises about judgment, accountability, and consequences are anything but.
