Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s former bodyguard and romantic partner says severe stress triggered a mental health crisis when he allegedly broke into her Arizona home and destroyed part of her art collection.
Matthew Ammel, 39, admitted damaging roughly $200,000 worth of property at Sinema’s Cave Creek residence after she declined his demand that she post videos from his military service on X, Arizona Family reported.
Ammel said he and Sinema sometimes lived together and that she left him alone inside the home while he was experiencing what he described as a mental breakdown, according to the report.
In a statement to the local news station, Ammel acknowledged having a meltdown on Aug. 30. He also provided the videos he had wanted Sinema to publish, the outlet reported.
He said in an email that the footage was recorded during his 2007 military deployment and appeared to show him and other service members providing first aid to a wounded person.
According to the report, Ammel wanted Sinema to draw on her Pentagon contacts to investigate why his unit had not received the Presidential Unit Citation, an award recognizing extraordinary heroism.
Investigators said he took 22 paintings off the walls and threw them into the backyard pool. Another painting was discovered near the home’s entrance, covered in black spray-painted lettering.
Sinema was away when the damage occurred and reported it on Sept. 3. Court documents say she alleged Ammel threatened to “damage her paintings every 10 minutes” unless she uploaded his video.
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The 23 damaged paintings were valued at $123,015. Investigators estimated the total loss at more than $200,000 after including damage to the house and swimming pool.
Ammel was arrested Sept. 18 in connection with the alleged vandalism after Sinema gave investigators text messages, video footage and surveillance recordings that purportedly showed him damaging the property.
He was booked on suspicion of criminal damage after reportedly being taken into custody at a behavioral health facility. His arrest followed the filing of a petition seeking an involuntary psychiatric evaluation.
A judge did not set bail at Ammel’s initial court appearance. He has since been released and placed under electronic monitoring.
Ammel is scheduled to return to court next week.
An Army veteran, Ammel joined Sinema’s security detail in 2022 after retiring from military service.
Meanwhile, Ammel’s ex-wife, Heather Ammel, has filed a civil lawsuit against Sinema in North Carolina under the state’s so-called “homewrecker” law. She accuses the former Democratic senator of deliberately pursuing her husband despite knowing he was married and had three children.
The complaint alleges that Sinema exchanged romantic messages with Ammel through the encrypted app Signal, bought gifts including personal massagers, paid for travel and concert tickets, funded psychedelic treatment and proposed that they take MDMA together.
Sinema did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
