Overview
- Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Monday, Aug. 17, that 14 people were charged in connection with a cocaine-trafficking operation tied to Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi, with 13 defendants identified as current or former Penn State students and one as a student’s father.
- Prosecutors say the operation ran during 2023–2024 and moved kilos of cocaine from Philadelphia and New York to State College where the drugs were cut and packaged at off-campus fraternity houses and sold mainly to other students.
- Investigators identified Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson as the operation’s primary suppliers, and Abbatiello is the subject of an active arrest warrant while Robinson and others face arrests or arraignments.
- Four defendants, including Abbatiello and Robinson, face felony counts such as corrupt organizations, conspiracy, and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, eight student-aged defendants face misdemeanor possession or paraphernalia counts, and one parent is charged with tampering and hindering apprehension.
- Penn State placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension, said Sigma Chi is not a recognized chapter, and the university will conduct separate student-conduct and organizational reviews as the criminal probe and grand-jury investigation continue.