Agostino Abbatiello, the former Sigma Chi fraternity member whom witnesses have described as the biggest cocaine dealer at Penn State, is pushing for a speedy trial. In a motion filed on September 16, Abbatiello agreed to start jury selection on December 7, provided prosecutors deliver discovery materials on schedule.
As detailed by BroBible, his attorney, Philip Masorti, wrote that the charges and media attention have placed substantial stress on Abbatiello and his family. The request follows Operation Drugs Unlimited, a state attorney general’s investigation into an alleged trafficking network involving 13 current or former students and one fraternity brother’s father.
According to WTAJ, 14 people were arrested in connection with the operation, which authorities say touched at least five fraternities. All of the allegations come from grand jury presentments, criminal complaints, and hearing testimony, and everyone charged is presumed innocent.
The case against the ring allegedly started with Snapchat and Venmo
Attorney General Dave Sunday said the network sourced cocaine from Philadelphia and New York before distributing it to fraternity houses for packaging. According to investigators, cutting and bagging cocaine served as a form of indoctrination for some pledges.
In September 2024, a State College police detective reportedly used a confidential informant to contact Thomas Robinson, a Delta Upsilon member described as a central figure in the ring. Initial purchases allegedly included 2.5 grams of cocaine for $140 and later an ounce for $1,200, with payments made through a Venmo handle in Robinson’s own name.
After a final controlled buy on December 12, 2024, police raided Robinson’s room. According to court documents, Robinson initially believed the officers were fraternity brothers pulling a prank and resisted arrest until he was tased, and police found Adderall, marijuana, cocaine, nearly $2,000 in cash, and a loaded Kimber .45 handgun in a safe.
A second safe was not found during the raid. According to grand jury testimony, Robinson used his father’s phone after making bail to contact a close friend in the fraternity, who said he had buried the safe in the woods about 30 minutes outside State College and pinned the spot on Apple Maps.
The friend testified that Paul Robinson, Thomas Robinson’s father, later drove him to retrieve the safe, which was hidden under a blanket in the back of the car. Paul Robinson faces felony charges for tampering and hindering apprehension, but he has denied the allegations through his attorneys and argued that his son’s cooperation with police “was used against him.”
Mohammed Huraibi, a former partner in the operation, testified that he and Robinson once pooled money to buy 100 grams of cocaine from Abbatiello. Huraibi reportedly handed the business to Robinson by early 2024, and Robinson allegedly expanded sales beyond the fraternity despite warnings from peers.
Robinson also testified that he bought marijuana on a Native American reservation in Salamanca, New York, following a tip from a friend in Phi Kappa Theta. The case surfaced in the same news cycle as a Madison frat basement discovery.
Penn State officials have said they will cooperate fully with law enforcement, and Delta Upsilon is under review through the university’s conduct processes. The Sigma Chi chapter, which already operated independently of university oversight, has been placed on interim suspension by its national organization.
Abbatiello, Thomas Robinson, Paul Robinson, Lars Zeepvat, Mohammed Huraibi, and Robert Zanolla are scheduled to appear in court on September 30. Several other defendants face misdemeanor charges tied to the operation.
Published: Sep 29, 2026 12:30 pm