Matthew Ammel, the former bodyguard who became romantically involved with ex-Senator Kyrsten Sinema, has been jailed again after prosecutors alleged that he threatened to “take down” her and sought help from military acquaintances to assemble a rifle.
The 39-year-old was taken into custody without incident Tuesday in the parking lot of a Cheesecake Factory in Phoenix, according to the Arizona Republic.
Authorities say Ammel violated the terms of his September 17 release, which followed felony charges accusing him of damaging Sinema’s home. Investigators allege he later asked a mutual contact to reach out to the former senator for him.
Sinema, 50, notified police about the attempted contact on September 22, although the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said she has declined to assist prosecutors in the case.
Court records state that a sheriff’s lieutenant in North Carolina, where Ammel’s family lives, alerted detectives that he was attempting to obtain a firearm and tactical equipment.
Prosecutors allege Ammel reached out to military friends about building a rifle, bought tactical gear and talked about funeral arrangements. They also say he made threats against a judge and law enforcement officers.
“The state fears [Ammel] will escalate his retaliation if released,” Maricopa County Deputy Attorney Bryn Barasha wrote in a court filing.
Police moved in after a GPS monitor showed Ammel at a north Phoenix gun store. Investigators say he had taken a large hunting knife there to have an inscription added.
His release terms prohibited him from possessing the knife. During court proceedings, Ammel said it was intended as a present for his nephew’s Marine Corps boot camp graduation.
Matthew Ammel, 39, was arrested without incident Tuesday in a Phoenix Cheesecake Factory parking lot. His latest mugshot is shown at left, while an image from September 17 appears at right
Kyrsten Sinema walks through the Hart Senate Office Building in April 2023
Ammel appears in court Wednesday, where he said the knife had been purchased as a gift for his nephew
A judge initially set Ammel’s bond at $25,000 on Wednesday. Prosecutors later sought to increase it to $100,000 in cash, pointing to the alleged threats against Sinema and describing the former Green Beret as “highly trained.”
Ammel declined to leave the jail for his Thursday arraignment. The judge postponed the hearing until October 15 and ordered that he be brought to court by any necessary means, including force.
His latest arrest came roughly a month after prosecutors charged him with felony criminal damage over an alleged $200,000 attack at Sinema’s $2 million residence in Cave Creek, a suburb of Phoenix, on August 30.
According to court documents, Ammel said he would throw one of Sinema’s paintings into her pool every 10 minutes unless she uploaded a video to X. When she refused, he allegedly put 22 paintings in the pool, smashed costly liquor bottles and broke a mirror.
Ammel told the Republic that the video he wanted Sinema to post lasted seven minutes and was recorded during his first deployment to Iraq in 2007. It showed soldiers treating a wounded, bloodied man they had shot before placing him aboard a helicopter.
“I was pissed at the system and I took it out on her art,” Ammel told the newspaper. “The American people have no idea how [expletive] up our government is and, like, what our politicians spend their time doing.”
Sinema represented Arizona in the Senate for one term, from 2019 through 2025, and now works as a senior adviser at Hogan Lovells. Ammel, who was introduced to her through Tulsi Gabbard, joined Sinema’s security team in 2022. The two began a relationship in 2024.
Ammel said he felt like “arm candy” while accompanying Sinema to events involving defense technology company Palantir, a British American Tobacco board dinner and the wedding of CNN anchor Jessica Dean.
His final trip to Washington with Sinema, to attend an event for Palantir CEO Alex Karp, felt like a ‘genocide celebration’ of the Gaza war, Ammel said.
‘Kyrsten was there rubbing elbows with Trump’s personal lawyer and, like, it was legitimately the most insane thing I had ever seen,’ Ammel told the Republic.
Sinema at a hearing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on August 19
Heather Ammel exits a court in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on August 19
Ammel’s ex-wife Heather is suing Sinema under North Carolina’s ‘homewrecker’ law, accusing the former Democratic lawmaker of ruining their 14-year marriage. Sinema admits the affair.
Ammel disputed his ex-wife’s claim that Sinema used her clout as his boss to take advantage of him. ‘Kyrsten didn’t take advantage of me,’ he told the Republic. ‘She was nice to me.’
He was accused in 2025 of strangling health care workers while committed in North Carolina, the Republic reported.
The re-arrest relates to the criminal damage case, in which a grand jury indicted Ammel on a single felony count on September 24. His trial is set for February 11, 2027.
‘I had a dumb job, but I’m not dumb. Or crazy, I’m just sick of the system. I want to see my kids and my dog Scout and go back in the Army,’ Ammel told the Republic.
