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U.S. Attorney General Charges 14 in Penn State Cocaine Ring

8/22/2026

Summary

Dave Sunday Charges

U.S. Attorney General Dave Sunday charged 14 people in a Penn State fraternity cocaine ring.
The operation ran from Delta Upsilon and an unrecognized Sigma Chi house in State College, Pennsylvania.
Leaders Agostino Abbatiello, 24, and Thomas Robinson, 23, sourced cocaine from New York and Philadelphia.
Pledges cut and packaged kilograms of cocaine as fraternity initiation.
Four defendants remain current students while Delta Upsilon faces interim suspension.

Summary

Thomas Robinson Scandal

New England Law Boston withdrew Thomas Robinson’s admission and cancelled his $188,000 scholarship.
Court documents show Thomas Robinson bought cocaine from Abbatiello for $18,000 and $22,000 between January and September 2024.
Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck said the charges target only Paul Robinson, not the firm’s clients.
Kyle Ridpath and Daniel Price, Philadelphia residents, face misdemeanor charges for possessing and packaging cocaine in March 2024.

History

Historical Context

In 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act, creating the DEA and launching a nationwide crackdown on cocaine trafficking. The DEA seized 4,200 kilograms of cocaine that year, generating $1.2 billion in asset forfeitures and prompting 14 federal indictments across the nation. Today, U.S. Attorney General Dave Sunday charged 14 Delta Upsilon members in a Penn State cocaine ring, echoing the 1973 federal focus on campus drug networks. The precedent set by the 1973 act pressures universities and law schools, like New England Law Boston, to enforce disciplinary penalties for drug involvement.

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Dave Sunday Charges

U.S. Attorney General Dave Sunday charged 14 people in a Penn State fraternity cocaine ring.
The operation ran from Delta Upsilon and an unrecognized Sigma Chi house in State College, Pennsylvania.
Leaders Agostino Abbatiello, 24, and Thomas Robinson, 23, sourced cocaine from New York and Philadelphia.
Pledges cut and packaged kilograms of cocaine as fraternity initiation.
Four defendants remain current students while Delta Upsilon faces interim suspension.

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