Former Penn State fraternity member testifies to cocaine sales in alleged campus drug ring
During a preliminary hearing in Bellefonte, a former Delta Upsilon member described buying and distributing cocaine through fraternity networks, as prosecutors detail a broader operation involving multiple defendants.
A former Delta Upsilon fraternity member testified Wednesday that he purchased and sold cocaine in quantities ranging from 100 grams to one kilogram as part of an alleged drug network operating through fraternities near Penn State’s campus. The testimony was given at a preliminary hearing for five of the 14 people charged in the case, which includes Agostino Abbatiello, Mohammed Huraibi, Paul Robinson, Thomas Robinson and Robert Zanolla.
Prosecutors say the operation sourced cocaine from Philadelphia, New York and Long Island and used fraternity members to weigh, package and distribute the drug to students. The witness, identified as Thomas Robinson, said his first purchase in 2023 was about 100 grams for roughly $4,000, which he stored in a fraternity room and divided into half-gram bags sold for about $80 each. He described subsequent purchases of 250 grams, 500 grams and eventually one-kilogram loads, some arranged through Snapchat messages that disappeared after 24 hours.
Robinson also said he bought multiple kilogram shipments from Abbatiello in July, September and November 2024, primarily selling them to other fraternity members. The defense questioned his credibility, noting he used cocaine while dealing it and acknowledged that his drug use could affect his memory.
"I'm happy with the way things went today," said Philip Masorti, Abbatiello’s attorney, adding that his client would post bail soon.
Another former fraternity member, Mohammed Huraibi, testified that he and Robinson bought 100 grams for about $4,000 in August 2023 and 250 grams for $10,000 in November, initially packaging the drug themselves before pledges assisted. A former Sigma Chi member, Lars Zeepvat, said Abbatiello’s sales grew from personal use to profit-driven distribution, with cocaine sometimes stored in fraternity houses and apartments.
Investigators also recovered a safe from Thomas Robinson’s fraternity room that contained cocaine, marijuana, a handgun and prescription stimulants, according to Detective Donald Paul. Additional testimony linked other defendants to packaging, delivery and transport of the drugs.
A judge found sufficient evidence to allow charges of evidence tampering and obstruction to proceed against Paul Robinson. Abbatiello, described by prosecutors as the operation’s top supplier, was released on $250,000 secured bail after previously being held without bail. The allegations remain unproven and the defendants are presumed innocent pending trial.