Robert M. Thompson; The Financial Freedom Foundation d/b/a F3 Mastermind; Brandon K. Stucki

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 26384 / August 22, 2025

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert M. Thompson and The Financial Freedom Foundation d/b/a F3 Mastermind, et al., No. 3:24-cv-05032 (W.D. Mo. filed May 3, 2024)

SEC Obtains Default Judgments Against Missouri Adviser and His Firm on Offering Fraud Charges and Against Relief Defendant

On August 14, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a final judgment by default in a litigated action against Missouri resident Robert M. Thompson and a private entity he controls, The Financial Freedom Foundation d/b/a/ F3 Mastermind, for defrauding investors in three securities offerings. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri also entered a final judgment by default against relief defendant Brandon K. Stucki for receiving ill-gotten gains to which he had no legitimate claim.

The SEC’s complaint, filed on May 3, 2024, alleged that Thompson marketed F3 Mastermind as a private membership group in which investors paid initial and monthly fees. Thompson and F3 Mastermind allegedly offered members investments in trading programs run by third-party operators that claimed to generate risk-free returns ranging from 20% per week to 4,000% per year. As alleged, between early 2019 and mid-2022, Thompson and F3 Mastermind recommended these investments to investors who subsequently invested in these programs. According to the complaint, F3 Mastermind members invested in these prime bank-like schemes and collectively provided at least $2 million to the third-party operators who conducted the schemes. Finally, the complaint alleged that relief defendant Brian K. Stucki received ill-gotten gains from the scheme to which he has no legitimate claim.

The Court entered a default judgment enjoining Thompson and F3 Mastermind from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1) and (2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The judgment also ordered Thompson and F3 Mastermind to pay $72,946 in disgorgement with $18,005 prejudgment interest on a joint and several basis, and a $36,000 civil penalty against each of Thompson and F3 Mastermind. The court further ordered Stucki to pay $9,994 in disgorgement plus prejudgment interest of $2,689.

The SEC’s litigation was led by Eric M. Phillips and the investigation was conducted by Matthew T. Wissa and supervised by Jeffrey Shank, all of the SEC’s Chicago Regional Office.