Judge sets $250,000 bail for accused Penn State cocaine trafficking ringleader

A judge set bail on Wednesday for the former Penn State fraternity brother at the center of an alleged cocaine trafficking ring. Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine set bail at $250,000 for Agostino Abbatiello, according to online court records. As of Wednesday afternoon, Abbatiello has not posted bail, the records show. His attorney, Philip Masorti, did not immediately return a request for comment. Abbatiello, 24, appeared at a hearing at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, roughly 10 miles north of the university. He wore a red jumpsuit and was handcuffed and escorted into the courthouse by police officers. He was arrested last month and charged with felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy, and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity. Prosecutors allege Abbatiello was the main supplier for the trafficking ring, selling other fraternity members cocaine in amounts ranging from small quantities to as much as a kilogram, according to court documents. Thirteen other people were arrested in connection with the case, including current and former students and the father of a former student. Several co-defendants — including Thomas Michael Robinson, Mohammed Huraibi and Lars Zeepvat — waived their preliminary hearings and instead testified against Abbatiello at his bail hearing, according to NBC affiliate WJAC-TV. A State College Police detective also testified, describing the alleged cocaine packaging operation involving the fraternities’ pledges, according to WJAC-TV. Unlike his co-defendants, Abbatiello was initially denied bail and has since been held at the Centre County Correctional Facility in Bellefonte. His attorney filed an emergency motion seeking bail, calling the denial “absurd” and disputing that Abbatiello posed a threat to the community. “After a two-year investigation, law enforcement never once asserted the Defendant used violence, threatened violence, or was ever seen with any weapon,” the motion states. In the same filing, Masorti also accused prosecutors of judge-shopping the case. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment. When they announced the charges last month, prosecutors described the alleged ring as a “coordinated and highly profitable” cocaine-trafficking operation. The investigation centers on two fraternities, Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon. Abbatiello was a member of Sigma Chi, which Penn State says it has officially recognized for years. The fraternity has said it suspended its Penn State chapter following the arrests. Court documents accuse Abbatiello of enlisting fraternity brothers and pledges to package the drugs, according to an affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, and alleges he paid the men hundreds of dollars to act as couriers and replenish his supply. Abbatiello was born and raised in Nassau County, Long Island. Before Penn State, he attended Chaminade High School, a competitive all-boys Catholic school, where he played football for two years, according to court records. He graduated from Penn State in spring 2024 with a 3.3 GPA, according to court documents. At the time of his arrest, he was living in Boca Raton, Florida, and working as a financial advisor. He returned to State College and turned himself in to authorities on August 18, the records show. Court records indicate Abbatiello wants to live with his parents on Long Island while the case is pending.