Prosecutors seek $100,000 bond for Sinema's ex-bodyguard

Prosecutors in Phoenix asked a judge on Sept. 30 to raise the bond for Kyrsten Sinema's former bodyguard to $100,000 cash-only, hours after the court set the figure at $25,000 following his second arrest in two weeks.

Matthew Ammel, 39, was taken into custody on Sept. 29 after his court-ordered GPS monitor placed him at a firearm retailer in north Phoenix, according to court records described by Arizona's Family. Detectives learned he had left a large hunting-style knife at the store to be engraved. The conditions of his release barred him from having one.

A bond set, then contested

A judge set bond at $25,000 on the morning of Sept. 30 and said Ammel's earlier release conditions would apply if he got out of jail. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office filed an emergency motion that afternoon seeking $100,000, cash only, and pointed to his alleged statement that he would "take down" Sinema.

Those conditions, imposed after his first arrest, also required him to stay away from Sinema, 50, who did not run for re-election in 2024.

A detective contacted the gun shop's owner, who said Ammel had asked for the engraving, the Daily Beast reported. Ammel did not deny having what officials called a "large, military-style knife." He said he wanted it engraved for his nephew's Marine Corps boot camp graduation.

Detectives with the Arizona State Gang Task Force drew Ammel out of his hotel room at 24th Street and Camelback Road and asked him to walk across the street to a Cheesecake Factory parking lot, where he was taken into custody at 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 29, Fox 10 Phoenix reported. The arrest was made without incident, Arizona's Family reported.

Prosecutors say Ammel broke a no-contact order within days of his Sept. 17 release by asking a mutual acquaintance to reach out to Sinema on his behalf.

Hours before the arrest, North Carolina authorities alerted Pretrial Services that Ammel was trying to acquire guns and tactical gear while making threats against a judge, Fox 10 Phoenix reported from court records. The warning came from a sheriff's lieutenant in that state, who said Ammel had discussed building a rifle and had threatened to kill the judge, according to the Daily Beast.

The Cave Creek allegations

The felony case against Ammel dates to Aug. 30, when Sinema was out of town. Investigators say he demanded she post a video to her X account and threatened to damage her Cave Creek home if she refused. Charging documents say he warned he would damage a painting every 10 minutes.

She refused. Investigators say Ammel then threw 22 pieces of artwork into the swimming pool and smashed expensive liquor bottles and a mirror. A probable cause statement describes one painting left near the front entrance spray-painted with black lettering. Ammel has said he had been drinking that night, the New York Post reported.

Investigators estimated the art damage at $123,015 and the total at more than $200,000, Arizona's Family reported. Sinema gave them text messages and surveillance video of Ammel damaging the property.

He was charged with one count of criminal damage, a class 4 felony. Fox 10 Phoenix described the charge as felony aggravated criminal damage with a domestic violence designation and reported that he was first taken into custody on Sept. 17, after he was discharged from a mental health facility.

Ammel told Arizona's Family the videos he wanted Sinema to post were from his 2007 military deployment and appeared to show him and others giving first aid to an injured service member. He said he wanted her to use her Pentagon connections to find out why his unit never received the Presidential Unit Citation, an award for heroism.

He also said he and Sinema sometimes lived together, and that she left him alone at the home during what he described as a stress-induced breakdown. He has claimed that Sinema "works for some of the companies that financially benefit from the genocide in Gaza."

The argument for a cash bond

The emergency motion describes Ammel as a "highly trained military soldier" who "contacted military friends to build him a rifle, purchased tactical gear, and discussed funeral arrangements."

The state fears defendant will escalate his retaliation if released.

State attorneys warned that Ammel poses an escalating danger to the public and to Sinema. Prosecutors wrote that police have serious safety concerns because of his erratic behavior and his highly skilled military training. The filings describe threats against the lives of sitting judges, lawyers and police personnel. The motion came less than two weeks after he was released following his first arrest.

A lawsuit in North Carolina

Sinema's relationship with Ammel became public through a civil case in North Carolina. His former wife, Heather Ammel, is suing the former senator for more than $25,000 under the state's alienation of affection law, alleging that the affair destroyed their 14-year marriage, Fox 10 Phoenix reported. The two are also in a custody dispute, according to the New York Post.

Sinema said in a deposition that she and Ammel began a sexual relationship in May 2024, while he was married, and that they were intimate during a trip to New York for the wedding of the CNN anchor Jessica Dean, the Daily Beast reported. The New York Post reported that she bought him gifts and invited him to a Taylor Swift concert.

What comes next in court

Ammel was due in Maricopa County Superior Court on Oct. 1 to be arraigned. He refused to be transported from jail.

The judge moved the arraignment to Oct. 15 and ordered that Ammel be brought to that hearing by any means necessary, including force, over his attorney's objection.

A pretrial conference in the criminal damage case is set for Jan. 20, 2027, according to Fox 10 Phoenix, which published the date before the arraignment was moved.

Ammel served in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan before joining Sinema's security team in 2022, the New York Post reported. The affair began about two years after he was hired. He was already serving unsupervised probation for an earlier felony case in North Carolina, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.

Ammel told the Arizona Republic he had been angry at the system and took it out on Sinema's art. He said he has brain injuries from his service. "I'm not a bad guy. I'm not crazy. I'm just really (expletive) smart, and I've seen behind the curtains," he said.

No ruling on the request to raise the bond has been reported. The allegations against Ammel are drawn from charging documents and from the prosecution filings seeking the higher bond, and he is due back in court on Oct. 15.