Patient recounts fraud experience with Colorado medical company after former executives indicted

A patient who says she fell victim to a fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated by former executives of a Colorado-based medical device company is sharing her story.

The company, based in Englewood, produces and markets electrotherapy devices used in pain management, rehabilitation and stroke recovery. Since CBS Colorado first covered the federal indictment of two former Zynex Inc. executives last month, we have heard from former Zynex employees and patients.

The defendants in this case, 67-year-old Thomas Sandgaard of Castle Rock and 39-year-old Anna Lucsok of Denver, will appear in court for their arraignments on March 5. The case is being tried in Rhode Island’s U.S. District Court, but people across the country say they were victims of the alleged fraud.

In 2024, while trying to move furniture out of her hurricane-damaged Florida home, Jodi Ritchie tore several tendons in her glutes.

“I broke my butt. So I was in so much pain that I had gone to pain management,” said Ritchie.

Her doctor prescribed a TENS unit from Zynex Inc. It’s a portable device that delivers low-voltage electrical currents to the skin to manage pain.

“They said, ‘Oh, you’ve got great insurance. It’ll cover everything.’ Yeah. And the nurse was like, ‘Oh, girl, you should get it. My son’s got one. It’s great. It’s been a lifesaver for him,'” said Ritchie.

Ritchie says the device helped her with her pain. But when she finally opened the Zynex packages that kept arriving in the mail, she was shocked.

“I just kept getting more electrodes and more 9-volt batteries and things,” said Ritchie. “I see a bill for over $500, and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. I didn’t order any of this stuff.’ I was told that it was covered by my insurance.”

When she called Zynex, Ritchie says she was told she had signed up for the supplies.

“I signed up to get the equipment. I didn’t sign up for never-ending supplies. No one on Earth would need that many supplies,” said Ritchie.

According to a federal indictment, Ritchie isn’t the only Zynex patient to receive supplies she didn’t ask for.

The indictment alleges former Zynex CEO Thomas Sandgaard and former COO Anna Lucsok ran a scheme to defraud health care payors, patients and investors by shipping excessive, unnecessary medical supplies and fraudulently billing millions of dollars for them.

“How many more companies are doing this to people? How many times has Medicaid been billed for this and ripped off?” Ritchie asked.

CBS Colorado learned that Thomas Sandgaard is the former owner of the English football team Charlton Athletic and the lead guitarist of the band “Sandgaard.” The band’s website claims Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X and other famous musicians have also been members. Thomas Sandgaard’s website describes him as an inventor, entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and rock star.

Sandgaard and Lucsok were arrested in January.

“I’m happy that it’s come to an end and that people are being held accountable for it,” said Ritchie. “These older people that live alone and live on Social Security, you know, they may not be able to pay their rent. It’s terrible.”

Ritchie still uses her Zynex device for her chronic pain. She hasn’t paid the bill for those supplies.

“Shelter and feeding my family is a lot more important to me than paying for something that I was duped into getting,” said Ritchie.

Ritchie has posted about her experience on Facebook to warn others.

“I actually posted on Facebook a little mini rant that, don’t buy this equipment because it’s not free. It isn’t covered by your insurance. You will be billed forever,” said Ritchie.

She warns others to double-check their insurance coverage after a doctor says something is fully covered.

“Even if your doctors and the staff in an office tell you that something is fully covered by your insurance, it’s always good to do a secondary check on that information, because the rep that actually came to their offices may have lied to them too,” said Ritchie.

Lucsok and Sandgaard did not respond to CBS Colorado’s request for comment. It is unclear whether they have been released on bail.

Zynex said in a statement last month that “the individuals named in the indictment are no longer employed by Zynex and play no role in Zynex’s current operations. Following the indictment, the Board of Directors removed Thomas Sandgaard as director and chair of the board. The company has not been charged in any criminal or civil enforcement matters.”

The company says it has undergone a recent overhaul and has cooperated extensively with the DOJ.

A Zynex Medical spokesperson told CBS Colorado that Sandgaard retired as CEO in August 2025 and Lucsok resigned in October 2025.