• Kyrsten Sinema accused of seducing married bodyguard Mark Ammel away from family
• Heather Ammel seeks $25,000 under North Carolina ‘alien of affection’ statute
• Court docs: senator supplied travel, drugs and ‘winning and dining’ to retired soldier battling PTSD

RALEIGH, NC (TDR) — Former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema is facing a civil suit that reads more like a political thriller than routine litigation. Plaintiff Heather Ammel, 38, filed for $25,000 in damages Monday in Wake County Superior Court, invoking North Carolina’s rarely-used “alienation of affection” law and alleging Sinema systematically seduced her husband—retired Army sergeant Mark Ammel, 41—while he served on the senator’s 2022-23 personal security detail.

The 22-page complaint, obtained by TDR, charges that Sinema, 47, “wined, dined, traveled and intoxicated” the decorated combat veteran, showering him with luxury gifts and private-jet flights until he abandoned his wife and two young children last spring.

“Defendant Sinema exploited a wounded soldier’s PTSD and substance-abuse vulnerabilities for her own sexual gratification and emotional control,” the filing states. “Such calculated predation deserves public condemnation and civil liability.”

What North Carolina’s Alien-of-Affection Law Allows

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North Carolina is one of only six U.S. jurisdictions that still allow a spouse to sue a third party for “maliciously interfering” in a marriage. Plaintiffs must prove:

1. Genuine love and affection existed before the outsider’s intrusion;
2. The defendant’s conduct destroyed that affection;
3. Quantifiable damages resulted.

Successful 2023 judgments range from $30,000 to $2 million; Heather Ammel’s $25,000 demand sits at the modest end, suggesting the suit is less about money and more about “public accountability,” her attorney told TDR.

From Battlefield to Bodyguard

According to the complaint, Mark Ammel enlisted at 18, deploying four times to Afghanistan and earning two Bronze Stars. He retired in 2021 with a 100% disability rating for PTSD and lingering shrapnel wounds. After a brief stint with a private-security firm, he joined Sinema’s Senate protective detail in January 2022.

Heather Ammel says the couple had celebrated their 12th anniversary days before her husband’s reassignment to Sinema’s Phoenix-based personal detail, which traveled frequently between Arizona, D.C. and donor retreats in California.

“We were in marriage counseling, but we were stable—until Senator Sinema set her sights on him,” Heather alleged in a sworn affidavit.

Alleged Seduction Timeline

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The filing outlines a 14-month narrative:

• March 2022: Sinema invites the detail to a “team-building” dinner at Scottsdale steakhouse Donovan’s, orders multiple bottles of Cabernet and insists Ammel ride in her SUV back to the hotel.
• May 2022: Senator books adjoining suites at the Four Seasons Washington during budget week; security schedule shows Ammel as “overnight post” outside her room.
• August 2022: Sinema charters a private jet to Aspen for a climate-donor summit, bringing only Ammel and one aide. Receipts attached show champagne and tequila charges at 2:14 a.m.
• October 2022: Husband tells wife he has “extra protective assignments” in L.A.; cellphone geo-data places him at Sinema’s West Hollywood condo for 36 hours.
• January 2023: Ammel misses his son’s 10th birthday; text messages submitted show Heather asking where he is—reply: “Work. Don’t ask again.”
• March 2023: Mark Ammel moves out of family home in Holly Springs, NC; lease records show he rents a one-bedroom apartment three miles from Sinema’s Phoenix residence.

Gifts, Drugs & Luxury Travel

Expense ledgers and credit-card exhibits attached to the suit allege:

• $14,200 Rolex Submariner purchased by Sinema at Tourneau Scottsdale and given to Ammel;
• $7,850 custom Beretta pistol with engraved initials “M.A.”;
• Nine first-class flights on JSX jets between PHX and LAX, all billed to Sinema campaign account;
• Hotel folios showing minibar charges for Don Julio 1942 tequila and White Claw hard seltzers—items the plaintiff says fueled her husband’s documented alcohol dependency.

“She knew he was in recovery and still plied him with top-shelf liquor,” Heather alleges. “That’s not romance; that’s predation.”

Medical & Personnel Records Cited

The complaint references Mark Ammel’s 2021 VA disability letter—70% PTSD, 30% traumatic brain injury—and a March 2023 email from a Senate physician reminding Sinema’s chief of staff that the sergeant “should avoid overnight shifts and alcohol-heavy environments.”

Attorneys also subpoenaed Senate Sergeant at Arms duty logs showing Ammel worked 18 consecutive overnight shifts in February 2023, a schedule the VA doctor had specifically warned against.

Sinema’s Legal Response

Through counsel, Sinema issued a brief statement Tuesday:

“I will vigorously defend myself against these salacious and unfounded allegations. My relationship with Sergeant Ammel was strictly professional. I intend to seek sanctions for this frivolous litigation.”

Her Phoenix-based attorney, David M. Cantor, filed a motion to dismiss on forum-non-conveniens grounds, arguing any conduct alleged occurred in Arizona, not North Carolina. A hearing is set for August 12.

Political Fallout

Sinema left the Senate in January 2025 and registered as an independent. The suit lands as she weighs a potential 2026 Arizona gubernatorial bid. Democratic strategists told TDR the alien-of-affection narrative could doom statewide prospects in the socially conservative Grand Canyon State.

“Arizona voters forgave her for leaving the party, but ‘homewrecker’ headlines are tougher to survive,” said Chuck Coughlin, a veteran GOP consultant tracking the race.

Broader #MeToo Questions

Conservative commentators have framed the case as a gender-flipped #MeToo moment, asking whether a male senator seducing a female veteran with PTSD would face louder outrage. Progressive analysts counter that power dynamics—and disability exploitation—should be condemned regardless of gender.

“When an elected official uses staff for sexual gratification while that employee struggles with mental-health issues, it’s abuse of power—full stop,” said MeToo.org legal director Jill Habig.

What Happens Next

Discovery is scheduled to begin September 3. Heather Ammel’s legal team has already subpoenaed:

• Senate disbursement records for Sinema’s 2022-23 travel;
• Capitol Police duty rosters and overtime logs;
• Cell-phone metadata for both parties (numbers only, not content);
• Credit-card statements for luxury purchases cited in the complaint.

Sinema’s lawyers vow to fight broad discovery, citing legislative-privilege protections, but North Carolina courts have historically allowed wide latitude in alienation suits.

Possible Outcomes

Legal analysts see three likely paths:

1. Settlement: Sinema pays a modest sum—likely near the $25,000 demand—to avoid further embarrassing disclosures.
2. Summary judgment: Judge dismisses on jurisdictional grounds, sparing a trial but leaving political odor.
3. Trial: A Raleigh jury hears salacious details weeks before Arizona’s 2026 filing deadline, potentially ending Sinema’s comeback hopes.

For now, the former senator joins a short list of national politicians sued under an obscure tort that survived North Carolina’s 2021 repeal effort—leaving the state, in the words of one legislator, “the last place in America where you can sue the person who stole your spouse.”

Will the case expose predatory abuse of power, or will Sinema successfully paint it as a political hit job wrapped in an archaic law?

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