Former United States Senator Kyrsten Sinema allegedly traveled to North Carolina to post bond for her boyfriend Matthew Ammel after his arrest on assault charges in November 2025, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
Matthew Ammel was involuntarily committed to a hospital facility on November 19, 2025, and arrested the following day for assaulting a physician at that facility, court records show. The charges filed against him included assault by strangulation and assault against emergency personnel.
Court documents detail the alleged incident, stating that Ammel forcibly took the victim to the ground, positioned him on his side, restrained his body from behind, and placed his arm around the victim's neck for an extended period. The physician reportedly sustained substantial swelling, welts, and bruising on his face, along with cuts to his neck, left arm, and right elbow.
Following his arrest, Sinema allegedly posted bond for Ammel and relocated him from his North Carolina rental property to her residence in Arizona, according to claims made by Ammel's ex-wife Heather Ammel in ongoing legal proceedings.
In May 2026, Matthew Ammel entered a guilty plea to the charges. The court sentenced him to 12 months of unsupervised probation with several conditions attached. He must continue receiving mental health treatment and provide regular updates to the court regarding his progress. Additional requirements include completing 48 hours of community service, refraining from firearm possession during the probation period, and maintaining no contact with the victim.
The bond posting allegation emerged as part of a separate civil lawsuit filed by Heather Ammel against Sinema in North Carolina. In that case, Heather Ammel accused the former senator of destroying her marriage. North Carolina remains one of a small number of states that permit alienation of affection lawsuits, which allow a spouse to sue a third party for interfering in a marriage.
Sinema has acknowledged having a relationship with Matthew Ammel while he was still married, though she has disputed that any sexual contact occurred within North Carolina state boundaries—a distinction that carries legal significance under the state's alienation of affection statute.
Sinema, who represented Arizona in the Senate from 2019 until January 2025, chose not to seek reelection after serving one term as an independent following her departure from the Democratic Party in 2022.