Penn State cocaine trafficking co-defendants testified against the alleged orchestrator
Agostino Abbatiello, 24, posted bail after a preliminary hearing.
The former Pennsylvania State University student accused of orchestrating a cocaine-trafficking ring has been released on bail, after a preliminary hearing Wednesday where three of his co-defendants testified against him.
Agostino Abbatiello, 24, eventually came to be known as the main cocaine supplier on campus, according to a criminal complaint. He and other co-defendants allegedly made regular trips to New York City and Philadelphia to acquire large quantities of cocaine, and distributed the drugs out of the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses from 2023 to 2024, prosecutors say.
A judge ordered Abbatiello be held for trial on all charges, which include felony counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine, conspiracy, and other related offenses. Fourteen people have been charged, and all but one are current or former Penn State students.
» READ MORE: 14 people have been charged in a Penn State fraternity cocaine-trafficking ring
At Wednesday’s hearing, State College Police Department Detective Donald Paul said after Thomas Robinson, 23, was arrested in 2024, he began cooperating with investigators and pegged Abbatiello as the head of the operation, as reported by the Centre Daily Times.
Robinson testified about the roughly 10 cocaine purchases he made from Abbatiello, which grew in size and price to as much as a kilogram of cocaine for $22,000, the news outlet reported. According to Robinson, the cocaine was typically ground down and repackaged in half-gram bags that were sold for about $80 apiece.
Two other co-defendants provided more details in their testimonies. One said some fraternity pledges were directed to package the cocaine for sale, while another testified that Abbatiello flaunted the money he was making, and was gambling thousands of it at a time, the Centre Daily Times reported. Senior deputy attorney general Megan McGoron said Abbatiello was making hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Abbatiello, of Long Island, N.Y., was denied bail when he was arraigned last month, and spent about two weeks in jail. At Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors requested a $5 million bail, but Abbatiello’s attorneys successfully argued for his bail to be set at $250,000. Abbatiello posted bail and is now home with his family, his lawyer Philip M. Masorti said in a statement.
“We have maintained that holding Agostino without bail was neither necessary nor justified. He is not accused of committing an act of violence. He did not flee. When he learned of the charges, he left his job in Florida, traveled to Pennsylvania, and surrendered himself to authorities,” he said.
Robinson and three other defendants also charged with felonies waived their preliminary hearings. The case against Robinson’s father, who also faces felony charges for concealing and tampering with evidence, will move forward, a judge ruled.
Abbatiello’s next court date is set for Sept. 30.
