Judge Sets $250,000 Bail for Former Penn State Fraternity Member Charged in Cocaine Trafficking Case

A Centre County President Judge set bail at $250,000 for Agostino Abbatiello, a 24-year-old former Penn State fraternity brother accused of heading a cocaine trafficking ring. Abbatiello appeared in a red jumpsuit, handcuffed, at a hearing in Bellefonte and has not posted bail, according to court records.

Prosecutors allege Abbatiello supplied cocaine to fraternity members in quantities ranging from small amounts to as much as a kilogram, and that he recruited pledges to package and transport the drugs. He faces felony charges of corrupt organizations, conspiracy and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity. Thirteen other individuals, including current and former students and a former student's father, have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

Several co-defendants, including Thomas Michael Robinson, Mohammed Huraibi and Lars Zeepvat, waived preliminary hearings and testified against Abbatiello at his bail hearing, while a State College police detective described the alleged packaging operation. Unlike the co-defendants, Abbatiello was initially denied bail and remains in the Centre County Correctional Facility.

His attorney filed an emergency motion calling the denial "absurd" and arguing that law enforcement never alleged Abbatiello used or threatened violence or possessed a weapon. The motion also accused prosecutors of judge-shopping the case.

The case centers on the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternities; Sigma Chi, of which Abbatiello was a member, has suspended its Penn State chapter. Abbatiello, a Nassau County, Long Island native who graduated from Penn State in spring 2024 with a 3.3 GPA, was living in Boca Raton, Florida, and working as a financial advisor at the time of his arrest. He returned to State College and turned himself in on August 18. Court documents indicate he wishes to reside with his parents on Long Island while the case proceeds.