Kyrsten Sinema admitted to the allegations of an affair with her security personnel, per a new court filing.
However, the former senator says she shouldn’t be held accountable in court on the technicality that the affair didn’t occur in the state where the wife lived.
The filing was first reported on by Brian Anderson of FOIAzona.
The former senator faces a “homewrecker” lawsuit in North Carolina for her affair with Army veteran Matthew Joseph Ammel (Ammel) filed by his estranged wife Heather Ammel — Ammel v. Sinema.
North Carolina allows the victim of a marital affair to sue the individual who engaged in the affair with their spouse. The Ammels were married for 14 years and had three children prior to their separation.
Sinema believes the lawsuit no longer has grounds since she and Ammel conducted their affair outside of North Carolina. Sinema documented that she and Ammel were physically intimate in Washington, D.C. and other states — California, New York, Colorado, and Arizona — but never North Carolina.
On Thursday, Sinema filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of personal jurisdiction. Sinema denied that the communications and physical contact constituting her affair with Ammel occurred while Ammel was domiciled and present in his home state of North Carolina. Sinema also denied having any knowledge that Ammel was present in North Carolina with his wife and children when she was contacting him concerning their affair.
Sinema said the affair began at the end of May 2024. Sinema claimed that she believed Ammel had ended his marriage to his wife and had plans to move into a new apartment.
In his declaration, Ammel said his marriage didn’t end until October 2024. According to the deposition of his wife, she attempted to salvage their marriage during those initial months that Sinema and Ammel carried out their affair.
Amid those beginning weeks of separation and prior to an official divorce, Sinema treated Ammel, his wife, and children to a Taylor Swift concert in Florida. Just prior to the first sexual encounter that Sinema admitted, Sinema treated the Ammel family to a U2 concert in late 2023.
The senator denied that certain message exchanges between her and Ammel discussing sexual intimacy leading up to their first tryst were indicative of romantic or intimate involvement, especially since the two hadn’t yet had physical intimacy at the time. In one exchange, Sinema responded to Ammel’s text about starting a “f**k the troops” chant that she would “f**k the hot ones.” In another, Ammel discussed missionary style sex which Sinema called “boring.”
Sinema also denied sending a picture of herself “wrapped in a towel.”
Sinema and Ammel often corresponded using Signal, the encrypted messaging app that has the option to automatically delete messages after a certain period of time.
As reported previously, Ammel’s time as Sinema’s security marked serious security expenditures that far surpassed her colleagues and even presidential candidates. Sinema spent over $1.7 million on her security.
After Sinema left office, Ammel didn’t stray far from her side. The pair have toured together to lobby for the legalization and funding for psychedelic treatment, namely ibogaine: the compounded derivative of an African shrub called the iboga tree.
Ammel was arrested and placed on a psychiatric hold in North Carolina last November for assaulting an officer at a hospital.
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Former U.S. Senator-turned-lobbyist Kyrsten Sinema is facing a lawsuit alleging an affair with her formerly married bodyguard, Matthew “Matt” Ammel.
Ammel’s ex-wife filed the lawsuit against Sinema based on North Carolina’s “homewrecker law” back in September with a superior court in North Carolina. The lawsuit became public after the case was moved to the District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.
The Ammels were married for 14 years and had three children together prior to their separation in November 2024.
Ammel joined Sinema’s security detail in early 2022. The lawsuit alleged that the adulterous relationship between Sinema and Ammel began at some point between late 2023 and early 2024.
The lawsuit also accused Sinema of giving gifts to Ammel, including psychedelic treatment. Sinema was further accused of directing Ammel to bring MDMA drugs, which are illegal, on a work trip so she could guide Ammel through a psychedelic experience.
During Sinema’s last year in the Senate while their alleged affair was well underway, Sinema allegedly hired Ammel to her staff as a Defense and National Security Fellow in addition to his security guard duties.
The two were alleged to have attended multiple concerts together: U2, Taylor Swift, Green Day, were among those listed.
The lawsuit claims Sinema’s former head of security allegedly even warned Ammel about Sinema having affairs with other security members upon her resignation in the fall of 2023.
During those last two years when Ammel was on board, Sinema’s security expenditures outpaced those by her colleagues and presidential candidates: over $1.7 million.
Sinema continued spending campaign funds into summer 2025. Expenditures amounted to over $390,000 over the course of three months; much of it went to similar expenses alleged in the lawsuit: private security and jet-setting.
One unusual expenditure noted by media reports involved several hundred dollars given to a middle school PTO in North Carolina. It appears that payment may have been in connection to Sinema’s alleged affair and Ammel’s children.
Ammel, an Army veteran, served over 17 years as a paratrooper and Green Beret before leaving the service in 2020.
Last February, Sinema had Ammel testify before the House Appropriations Committee in favor of ibogaine research as part of her lobbying effort for funding psychedelic clinical studies. Ibogaine is a psychoactive compound derived from an African shrub, the iboga tree. It is not currently legal in the country and does not have FDA approval. Certain clinics within the country do use ibogaine for treatments.
After growing closer with Sinema, Ammel was appointed to a fellowship within the Office of University Affairs at Arizona State University.
Last September, Ammel was a guest speaker at the screening of a 2024 Netflix documentary about Navy SEALs treating mental illness with psychedelics, “In Waves and War.” Ammel was presented as a North Carolina Special Operations Veteran and Ibogaine VETS Grant Recipient.
It appears the psychedelic treatments weren’t having their desired effect.
Ammel was arrested in November for assaulting an officer while at a hospital in North Carolina.
Ammel was placed on psychiatric hold for allegedly strangling a medic, per documents discovered by Fox 10 Phoenix.
CRAZY update involving @kyrstensinema lover saga and lawsuit. @FOX10Phoenix just obtained documents involving her former head of security who is charged with felony crimes in Nov. 2025. He was on an Involuntary Commitment Hold in NC. Matthew Ammel allegedly attacked a medic. pic.twitter.com/BZY3UwVe62
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema claims she’s not a lobbyist, but her emails tell a different story.
Emails uncovered by FOIAzona revealed Sinema’s lobbying for a major new AI data center in Chandler.
When Sinema joined Hogan Lovells, global law and lobbying firm, as senior counsel back in March, she told reporters she wasn’t registering as a lobbyist. Sinema is also an advisory council member for Coinbase Global, a cryptocurrency company; and president and CEO of Arizona Business Roundtable.
Federal law requiring a “cooling off” period for former representatives and senators doesn’t apply to lobbying at local levels — only lobbying in Congress.
The federal lobbyist system doesn’t have Sinema registered. However it does have the registration of Hogan Lovell’s policy advisor: her former congressional aide, Daniel Winkler.
Emails revealed that Sinema met with Chandler council members in mid-June to discuss the data center. Following that meeting, Sinema used her Hogan Lovells email to push plan proposals for the data center to six city officials: a development agreement and a white paper advocating for AI data centers as an economic boon. Her emails to city officials were consistent thereafter.
“Single User – We demo the property and leave the front part open to attract the single use that [City Manager] Micah [Miranda] envisions. We build only the data center and the north building at the same time. R&D buildings along Dobson – We commence construction of these two eastern buildings within 18 months of C of O of data center. This gives Micah the time to attract a single user, but we still will process plans for these two buildings in the meantime to hit the 18 month mark. This leave the middle portion open to still attract a single user and build to suit. Full buildout – We commence spec construction of the middle building within 36 months of C of O of data center. This gives Micah the time to attract a single user, or a middle user but we still will process plans for all the buildings to hit the 36 month mark.”
Councilmember Matt Orlando then met with Sinema and Winkler in early August.
About a week later, Sinema was attempting to get the ear of another member of the council, Jennifer Hawkins.
In the days that followed, Orlando advised the city manager and economic development director that councilmembers were receiving constant communications about AI, and directed the pair to reach out to Sinema for possible development sites.
“We should not only look at the old Northrop Grumman site, but at the airport and other areas of our community for many AI clusters,” said Orlando. “We need to look at the economic model of such complexes. Please get with Kirsten [sic] Sinema, our existing companies and others in the industry and get us some ideas for a truly strategic plan to position our city for the future.”
The city’s economic development director advised in September that there wasn’t “any definitive cause relationship” between AI data centers and the desired location site for companies.
Then came the widely reported day in mid-October when Sinema argued for the data center at the Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
It was there that Sinema threatened to use the power of the Trump administration against the city should they not approve the data center.
“[My coalition] works hand-in-glove with the Trump administration as we prepare for AI American dominance,” said Sinema. “We all know that the innovation campus has been vacant for over seven years. What I’d like you to know today is this: if we choose not to move forward with this development, the land will continue to sit vacant until federal preemption occurs.”
Sinema argued on behalf of the data center developer Active Infrastructure. She presented herself as the founder and co-chair of the AI Infrastructure Coalition (AIC), which formally launched with a swanky D.C. party last month.
AIC members include Andreeseen Horowitz, Cisco, ExxonMobil, Google, Lumen, Meta, Microsoft, and Pinnacle West. AIC’s executive director, Brian Walsh, formerly led the Congressional Leadership Fund and America First Action.
NEW – 🚨@KyrstenSinema claimed she's "not a lobbyist" … but I obtained internal emails from @CityOfChandler suggesting otherwise
For months, Sinema & her DC lobbying firm have been strong-arming the City to approve a massive AI data center
A popular Phoenix drag star and DACA recipient was arrested for sex with a minor last month.
Michael “Mikey” Browder, 35 — better known in the Valley by the drag persona “Aubrey Ghalichi” — was arrested for having sex with a 13-year-old boy.
Per court records obtained by ABC 15 News, the 13-year-old victim posed as an 18-year-old on an online dating website. In an interview with police, Browder allegedly admitted to the crime, but on the caveat that the victim looked to be of age and that the victim’s apartment was too dark to discern the victim’s age.
Browder, a DACA recipient, worked for the Arizona Dream Act Coalition (ADAC) as a DACA coordinator. He told media outlets that he qualified for a work permit under former President Barack Obama’s program for those who immigrated to America illegally as children.
Browder was also an involved anti-ICE activist. In February, Browder was one of many to protest for hours at the Arizona State Capitol against mass deportations initiated by President Donald Trump.
Browder immigrated illegally into the United States from Mexico when he was 10 years old with his mother, Vanessa “Cherry Elizabeth” Browder, who also resides in the Valley.
Browder didn’t apply for DACA until December 2020 when he was 30 years old, according to an interview with AZ Mirror. Browder reported receiving an approval letter in June 2021, less than five months after he and six others with ADAC flew to Washington, D.C. to “send a message” to then-incoming President Joe Biden and his administration.
“We want immigration reform now. We’ve waited eight years since Obama; he said there was going to be some kind of immigration reform for DACA recipients and it hasn’t happened yet,” said Browder in an interview with Prospect. “We’re hopeful that Biden does something now because a lot of us would like to vote hopefully in the next election, in 2024.”
If convicted, Browder could qualify for deportation.
DACA recipients must renew their status every two years. Under federal law, disqualification for renewal extends to those who commit any misdemeanor that is an offense of domestic violence, sexual abuse or exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence.
Additionally, those who pose a threat to national security or public safety, those who receive sentencing to time in custody for more than 90 days, or those convicted of a felony or three or more other misdemeanors don’t qualify for DACA renewal.
While working with ADAC, Browder handled the advance parole application process for DACA applicants.
Browder worked closely alongside ADAC executive director Karina Ruiz de Diaz — the LUCHA activist and illegal immigrant benefitting from DACA who filmed herself following then-Senator Kyrsten Sinema into a bathroom in October 2022.
Browder’s husband, John Andrew Covarrubias, has been a writer and producer for multiple networks, including Prime Video and Amazon Studios, Starz, the CW Network, Marvel Studios, NBC Universal, and CBS Television Studios according to LinkedIn. Per his Facebook, Browder has also worked for Paramount Studios.
Browder was scheduled to be a headline performer at Phoenix Pride Festival next week, as first reported by ABC 15.
Phoenix Pride’s board of directors issued a statement condemning the allegations. The organization also disputed the validity of online claims that they created a December 2023 event featuring Browder called “Holiday With the Queens,” which they said never existed.
“Phoenix Pride remains committed to creating safe, affirming, and empowering spaces for our LGBTQ+ community,” said the organization.
Phoenix Pride named Browder’s drag persona, Aubrey Ghalichi, the winner of the 2022 Mayor Phil Gordon Spirit Award — though for both the 2022 and 2020 honorees of that award, the organization put a description of another LGBTQ+ activist, Adonias Arevalo-Melara.
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The nation may see the benefits of hydropower expansion in Arizona, depending on President Joe Biden’s approval of an Arizona congressman’s bill.
That bill, HR 1607 from Congressman David Schweikert, transfers National Forest System land near the Salt River in Arizona to the Bureau of Reclamation for the purpose of additional hydropower generation within the Salt River Federal Reclamation Project.
In remarks before the House last year, Schweikert explained that pumped storage hydroelectricity supplements energy resources in the state.
“It’s environmentally sound, it actually allows us to take care of something that is somewhat unique for us in the desert southwest, and that is the solar power we produce,” said Schweikert.
Pumped storage hydroelectricity pumps water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir during low energy demand. During high energy demand, the upper reservoir releases downhill into the lower reservoir through hydropower turbines to generate around 10-12 hours of reliable energy.
In a press release, Schweikert said the legislation proved Arizona’s standing as a state leading on energy production and efficiency.
“Once again, Arizona has proven to lead the charge to deliver innovation and make life more efficient for Arizonans at a time when our state’s economy and population continue to explode,” said Schweikert. “The near unanimous support for this legislation proves that America is ready to embrace long-term energy storage technologies to expand the supply of affordable and reliable energy for our communities.”
Schweikert thanked his Democratic colleague, Congressman Greg Stanton, for his assistance in getting the bill passed with bipartisan support.
“I’m incredibly thankful for my friend and colleague, Rep. Stanton, who’s been crucial to this process of embracing innovation, and I’m looking forward to seeing this technology benefit Arizona,” said Schweikert in the press release.
Stanton contributed a statement to Schweikert’s press release, adding that the pumped storage hydroelectric expansion couldn’t come at a better time.
“Not only do pumped storage projects provide greater flexibility and improve reliability in our energy grid, but they also cut utility costs for Arizona families and businesses,” said Stanton. “This critical legislation passed the House with an overwhelming majority last year, and today it’s on its way to becoming law.”
It was a bipartisan coalition of elected leaders that ensured the passage of Schweikert’s bill. Both the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed the legislation unanimously.
Schweikert introduced the bill last March. The House passed the bill last November, where it awaited Senate review for over a year. The Senate approved the bill on Tuesday. Arizona Senators Mark Kelly (D) and Kyrsten Sinema (I) introduced companion legislation in March, SB 739, which has advanced to Biden’s desk.
Kelly said in the press release that the expansion would not only strengthen the state’s energy grid but result in lower energy costs for Arizonans.
“Expanding pumped-storage hydropower in Arizona will strengthen our energy grid and lower energy costs for families,” said Kelly. “This is about using technology to make our energy more reliable and affordable.”
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