14 Charged in Penn State Cocaine Ring, Pledges Allegedly Cut Drugs as Frat Initiation

Fourteen people are facing charges after Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Monday that a cocaine trafficking operation ran through two Penn State University fraternities for at least two years.

Thirteen of the defendants were Penn State students at or around the time of the alleged conduct in 2023 and 2024, according to the Attorney General's office. At least four are current students. The 14th defendant is the father of one of the accused, charged with tampering with evidence and hindering the investigation.

Agostino Abbatiello, 24, of Westbury, New York, and Thomas Robinson, 23, of Pittsburgh, are accused of being the operation's main suppliers, according to the Attorney General's office. Investigators say the pair made regular trips to Philadelphia and New York to bring back large quantities of cocaine, which was then cut and packaged, primarily at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses, before being sold mostly to other Penn State students.

"Indoctrination" through drug packaging

"This was a coordinated and highly-profitable drug-trafficking crew revolving around two senior members of the fraternities, other fraternity brothers, and pledges," Sunday said at Monday's news conference, according to the Attorney General's office. "In fact, according to the evidence uncovered, cutting and packaging cocaine was, for some pledges, an indoctrination into the fraternities."

Sunday said fraternity brothers did the packaging, and pledges were sometimes brought in to cut and bag cocaine as part of joining the organizations. He told reporters investigators found no evidence that any of the packaging happened on Penn State's actual campus, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. The drug dealing itself, Sunday said, was largely "friend to friend, fraternity brother to fraternity brother, acquaintance to acquaintance," happening at fraternity houses and parties.

Asked whether prosecutors would pursue separate hazing charges, Sunday declined to answer, according to Penn State's public radio station, WPSU.

The charges

Abbatiello, Robinson, Mohammed Hurabi and Lars Zeepvat face felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and related offenses, per the Attorney General's office. Robert Zanolla faces felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility.

Eight other student-aged defendants, Liam Smith, Michael Brogno, Kaden Howe, Connor Hurleigh, Seth Beardsley, Kyle Ridpath, Daniel Price and Charles Wiseman, face misdemeanor possession and paraphernalia counts.

Paul Robinson, Thomas Robinson's father, is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension and obstruction for allegedly trying to hide a safe containing drugs and cash, according to the Attorney General's office.

Most defendants were arraigned Monday morning. Abbatiello was not, and a warrant is out for his arrest, Sunday said, per NBC10 Philadelphia.

The investigation, called "Operation Drugs Unlimited," started in September 2024 when a State College Police detective began working confidential informants and controlled buys, according to Newsweek. The Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, State College police and two statewide grand juries built the case from there. Most transactions were cash or through payment apps, investigators said.

Fraternities respond, presumption of innocence applies

Penn State placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension. The university does not recognize Sigma Chi as an official organization, meaning it already operated outside university oversight, according to CBS News.

Delta Upsilon's international executive director, Justin Kirk, said in a statement reported by CNN that the fraternity was aware of the allegations and that members tied to the chapter were expelled or suspended if they didn't resign, adding the organization "will continue to work closely with the university on any investigative efforts." Sigma Chi's national headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment, though Sigma Chi's executive director Michael Church told CBS News the alleged conduct "is an egregious violation of our values" and that all three charged members, along with the local chapter, have been suspended.

These are allegations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, as the Attorney General's office itself noted in its release. Sunday, addressing parents directly, said drug activity "occurs all throughout" communities and isn't unique to Penn State, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

The Attorney General's office also issued a correction after the press conference, noting a misstatement about how many defendants are current students, clarifying that at least four, not just the one father, are enrolled now. Classes at Penn State's University Park campus begin August 24, and the school says Student Affairs is fast-tracking new hazing-prevention programming before the semester starts, according to WPSU. Whether prosecutors ultimately add hazing-specific charges remains an open question Sunday has not answered.