Adam R. Steigert


Adam Richard Steigert is an American filmmaker, known for his films OMBIS Alien Invasion, A Grim Becoming, Fang and The Horrific Evil Monsters. He co-founded the Buffalo-based production company 388 Studios in 2018.

Life and career

Steigert was born in Hamburg, New York on December 31, 1986. His parents were Warren Richard Steigert and Jean M. Sanders, and he was raised by his grandparents, William and Kathleen Sanders. He formed the production company DefTone Pictures Studios with Stephanie Wlosinski, writing and directing the 2008 film Bitez and the 2009 film Gore. His most popular film involves zombies in Prisoners of the Dead. He later wrote, directed, and produced the short exploitation film Homicidal Vengeance. In 2013, Steigert wrote and directed the science fiction film Ombis: Alien Invasion, which was later re-titled in Best Buy, Walmart and Netflix as Not Human.
In 2014, Steigert directed, co-wrote, and co-edited the comedy horror film A Grim Becoming. Steigert then directed, co-wrote, and produced the 2017 film STAR . His next project, a werewolf-based horror film titled Fang, released in 2018. He then created a horror team up known as The Horrific Evil Monsters.
After the release of The Horrific Evil Monsters, Steigert, under the direction of 388 Studios, produced and directed a spin-off series focusing on the Grim Reapers 9 to 5, entitled A Grim Mini Series: Final Fracture.
In 2021 Steigert began writing a sequel to his film Ombis 2: Alien Awakening, slated for a 2026 release, which follows the story of Haley trying to expose the government’s Metzburgh cover-up only to find the invasion isn’t over and something is awakening.

Legal proceedings

In addition to his work as an independent filmmaker, Adam R. Steigert has pursued multiple legal actions connected to his federal employment. Acting pro se, Steigert has simultaneously managed cases before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Merit Systems Protection Board proceedings

On June 25, 2025, Administrative Judge Jennifer Pao issued an Initial Decision in a separate MSPB appeal filed by Steigert, docketed as PH-3443-25-1394-I-1. The appeal challenged a series of personnel actions including a job-offer rescission, non-selection, denial of reasonable accommodation, reassignment, the rescission of a temporary promotion, a five-day suspension, performance evaluation disputes, and allegations of retaliation related to prior EEO activity. Judge Pao found that these actions did not constitute appealable adverse actions under 5 U.S.C. § 7512 and therefore did not fall within the Board’s Chapter 75 jurisdiction.
The decision then examined Steigert’s Individual Right of Action whistleblower claims. The judge found that Steigert had filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which terminated its inquiry on May 22, 2025, thereby satisfying the OSC exhaustion requirement for an IRA appeal. The Initial Decision noted that Steigert alleged retaliation for cooperating with internal investigations, multiple EEO complaints, and disclosing concerns related to harassment and reprisal. The Board explained that while reprisal for one’s own EEO activity is generally excluded from 5 U.S.C. § 2302 and – whistleblower protections, recent precedents had expanded the interpretation of protected activity.
Specifically, the Initial Decision relied on Reese v. Department of the Navy, 2025 MSPB 1, and Holman v. Department of the Army, 2025 MSPB 2, in which the Board held that disclosures or cooperation with an agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity office may, in certain circumstances, constitute protected whistleblower activity under 5 U.S.C. § 2302, because an EEO office qualifies as a “component responsible for internal investigation or review.” The decision also noted that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit were simultaneously reviewing aspects of the Reese precedent, and that those outcomes could directly affect the Board’s jurisdiction in Steigert’s appeal.
Given the unsettled state of controlling precedent and the potential impact of the forthcoming decisions in Reese, the administrative judge dismissed Steigert’s appeal without prejudice to conserve the resources of both the Board and the parties. The Initial Decision ordered that the appeal be automatically refiled on January 2, 2026, after which a new status conference would be scheduled and all previously submitted documents would carry over into the refiled case.

Merit Systems Protection Board proceedings

In September 2025, Steigert filed an appeal with the Merit Systems Protection Board challenging alleged retaliatory personnel actions by the Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service. The appeal was docketed as Steigert v. Department of the Treasury, MSPB Case No. PH-0752-25-2249-I-1, and assigned to Administrative Judge Jennifer Pao of the Northeastern Regional Office.
Key docket activity includes:
  • September 30, 2025 – Initial Appeal filed.
  • September 30, 2025 – Appellant's Exhibits filed.
  • October 1, 2025 – Supplemental Notice submitting additional evidence, including a May 30, 2025 email exchange with agency counsel.
  • October 27, 2025 – Motion for Sanctions, alleging continued noncompliance by agency representatives.
  • October 27, 2025 – Filing of supplemental exhibits documenting shutdown-related correspondence and compliance issues.
  • November 13, 2025 – Submission of a summary of testimony from the September 25, 2025 WDNY TRO hearing, filed in support of the MSPB appeal.
  • November 17, 2025 – Notice of Judicial Authority and Federal Injunction Conflict, referencing overlapping issues between MSPB proceedings and federal injunction orders.
  • November 17, 2025 – Supplemental Statement of Facts and Request for Protective Actions filed.
  • November 20, 2025 – **Order Rescheduling Deadlines** issued by Administrative Judge Jennifer Pao, extending the agency's response deadline to December 12, 2025 and setting December 22, 2025 as the deadline for discovery-related filings.
  • November 20, 2025 – Appellant’s Notice of New Retaliatory Personnel Action filed, addressing the FY 2025 annual performance evaluation.
As of late November 2025, the appeal remains pending before the MSPB, with ongoing disputes concerning alleged retaliatory actions, federal injunction conflicts, and compliance issues raised across multiple forums.

United States District Court proceedings (Western District of New York)

Western District of New York proceedings
In September 2025, Steigert filed Steigert v. Bessent et al., Case No. 1:25-cv-00820, in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, alleging breach of contract and retaliation by officials within the Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service. The matter was assigned to District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. and referred to Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer for pre-trial management.
Key docket activity includes:
  • September 12, 2025 – Emergency motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction filed.
  • September 22, 2025 – Motion for sanctions filed.
  • September 25, 2025 – Oral argument held before Judge Sinatra.
  • September 29, 2025 – Emergency motion for protective order filed.
  • October 16, 2025 – Notice of related judicial development filed, referencing a nationwide injunction in American Federation of Government Employees et al. v. Office of Management and Budget et al..
  • October 17, 2025 – Notice of supplemental authority filed.
  • October 31, 2025 – Notice of continuing violation and non-compliance with court filings filed.
  • November 3, 2025 – Motion for contempt and enforcement of court authority filed, alleging continued agency non-compliance with prior court orders.
  • November 4, 2025 – Official transcript of the September 25 hearing filed ; restricted for 90 days, with public release scheduled for February 2, 2026.
  • November 10, 2025 – The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a Response in Opposition to the Motion for Contempt and Sanctions and a supporting Declaration of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Cerrone. That same day, Steigert filed a Supplemental Motion for Civil Contempt and Enforcement of Federal Court Orders, adding an IRS executive as a respondent and alleging continued reliance on the Deferred Resignation Program following nationwide injunctions issued on October 16 and October 28, 2025, by Judge Susan Illston in American Federation of Government Employees et al. v. Office of Management and Budget et al., which temporarily barred all federal agencies from implementing shutdown-related Reduction in Force or DRP actions.
  • November 13, 2025 – Second Supplemental Motion for Civil Contempt and Post-Reopening Enforcement of Federal Injunctions filed.
  • November 18, 2025 – Third Supplemental Motion for Civil Contempt and for Immediate Post-Reopening Enforcement Actions filed.
  • November 19, 2025 – Fourth Supplemental Motion for Civil Contempt and Notice of Continuing Post-Injunction Violations filed. Later that day, Magistrate Judge Roemer issued a text order setting deadlines for briefing on the government’s Motion to Dismiss and its opposition to the plaintiff’s TRO motion, with Steigert’s response due December 12, 2025, and replies due January 2, 2026.
  • November 21, 2025 – Fifth Supplemental Motion for Civil Contempt filed, alleging retaliatory timekeeping interference, AWOL threats, and continuing violations of federal injunctions.
As of late November 2025, the contempt motions, supplemental contempt filings, and pending sanctions issues remain before Judge Sinatra.