HARRISBURG, Pa. — Fourteen people face charges in an alleged Penn State cocaine ring tied to two off-campus fraternity houses. Prosecutors say some pledges cut and bagged cocaine as part of their initiation.

Thirteen defendants were Penn State students when some or all of the alleged conduct occurred in 2023 and 2024. The 14th is the father of one student. At least four defendants remain enrolled, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

The charges announced Monday cover sharply different levels of alleged conduct. Four defendants face corrupt organizations, conspiracy and other felony counts. A fifth faces felony conspiracy and related charges. Eight student-aged defendants face misdemeanors, while the parent faces separate evidence-tampering allegations.

Prosecutors Say Pledges Packaged Cocaine

Attorney General Dave Sunday said Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson served as the main suppliers. Prosecutors accuse them of making regular trips to Philadelphia and New York to obtain large quantities of cocaine.

Members allegedly cut and packaged the cocaine mainly inside the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon houses. The alleged ring then sold it mostly to Penn State students, prosecutors said. Investigators have not alleged that the packaging occurred on Penn State’s campus.

Sunday said authorities found a pattern involving some new members. Those pledges allegedly cut and bagged cocaine as an “indoctrination” into the fraternities.

“There was nothing junior or childlike about this type of conduct,” Sunday said.

The public allegations do not say how many pledges took part or how often they handled drugs. They also do not establish that every chapter member knew about the operation. The case targets named people and their alleged acts, not fraternity membership by itself.

Penn State has described the pledge allegations as hazing. Its published guidance says hazing includes pressure or coercion to do something illegal, harmful or unsafe to gain group status. Consent does not remove an act from that definition.

However, the publicly reported criminal charges do not include separate hazing counts. That distinction matters. A university can investigate conduct under its own rules while prosecutors pursue different offenses in court.

Penn State Cocaine Ring Charges Vary by Defendant

Abbatiello, Robinson, Mohammed Huraibi and Lars Zeepvat face several felonies. The counts include corrupt organizations, conspiracy and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, according to a summary of the charging announcement. Prosecutors identify Abbatiello and Robinson as the alleged primary suppliers.

Robert Zanolla faces felony conspiracy, criminal use of a communication facility and related misdemeanor charges. The misdemeanor defendants are Liam Smith, Michael Brogno, Kaden Howe and Connor Hurleigh. The list also includes Seth Beardsley, Kyle Ridpath, Daniel Price and Charles Wiseman.

Paul Robinson, Thomas Robinson’s father, is the only defendant who was not a Penn State student. Prosecutors accuse him of concealing evidence, including a safe that held drugs and cash. He faces a felony evidence-tampering charge, plus allegations of hindering apprehension and obstructing the investigation.

Those groupings are important. A misdemeanor possession case is not the same as an allegation that someone led or financed a trafficking organization. Each defendant’s case will turn on the evidence tied to that person.

Criminal complaints contain allegations, not findings of guilt. All 14 defendants are presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges in court.

Earlier Arrest Put Delta Upsilon House Under Scrutiny

The investigation became public in December 2024, when police arrested Thomas Robinson at the Delta Upsilon house. An affidavit described several controlled cocaine purchases that informants arranged through Snapchat, Onward State reported at the time.

During a search, police reported finding 8.2 grams of cocaine and 220 grams of marijuana. Officers also seized 229 amphetamine and dextroamphetamine pills and $1,862 in cash. They reported finding a loaded .45-caliber handgun, too.

Robinson then faced 18 felony counts and 10 misdemeanors. He posted $150,000 bail. Those were allegations from the earlier case. The new announcement now places that arrest within a claimed network involving more people and another fraternity house.

The earlier arrest also shows why the alleged Penn State cocaine ring is broader than a single drug sale. Prosecutors now allege a supply chain, repeated packaging and distribution, and distinct roles for suppliers, fraternity members and pledges.

One Fraternity Was Recognized, One Was Not

A viral social media summary described both fraternities as unrecognized Penn State groups. That is not precise. Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi did not have the same status when officials announced the charges.

Penn State placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension effective Aug. 17 because of alleged serious misconduct. An interim suspension stops meetings, events and recruitment while officials investigate. It is not a final finding against the chapter.

Sigma Chi already operated without university recognition. Penn State had suspended the group through Aug. 1, 2024, for policy violations. The chapter chose not to return to the university system and continued independently, according to Penn State’s current chapter-status records.

That difference affects oversight. Penn State can freeze a recognized group’s privileges and conduct an organizational process. Its power over an independent chapter is more limited, though the university can still discipline enrolled students for individual conduct.

Delta Upsilon’s international office said people tied to the fraternity who were involved had resigned or were expelled or suspended. It also pledged to cooperate with Penn State. Sigma Chi’s headquarters did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment.

Penn State Had Warned About Independent Fraternities

The Sigma Chi issue did not begin with the Penn State cocaine ring. In March 2025, Sigma Chi joined two other groups in forming an independent State College Interfraternity Council. The other chapters were Pi Kappa Alpha and Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Penn State called it a “rogue” council and warned students against joining its groups. University officials said groups outside formal recognition lack the same oversight and safety rules. Sigma Chi was already outside Penn State’s system when that warning appeared.

Operating off campus does not place students beyond criminal law or the university’s individual conduct rules. It does narrow the tools Penn State can use against the organization itself. Privately owned fraternity houses also sit outside the physical campus, even when their residents and guests are students.

Universities often impose interim suspensions before a campus investigation ends. In a separate case, USA Herald reported that Ohio State halted a fraternity’s activities after a student was hospitalized. The facts in that case differ. Still, the temporary order serves the same purpose: stop group activity while officials determine what happened.

Criminal and University Cases Move on Separate Tracks

Most defendants facing felonies were arraigned Monday, according to Sunday. Their criminal cases will proceed through Pennsylvania courts, where prosecutors carry the burden of proof.

Penn State’s review of Delta Upsilon is a separate administrative process. The national fraternities can also take action under their own membership and chapter rules. A result in one process does not automatically decide the others.

The charges do not prove that every member of either fraternity took part. They also do not establish criminal liability for either chapter as a whole. Still, the claim that some pledges handled cocaine during initiation raises questions that go beyond ordinary possession.

If prosecutors prove that allegation, the alleged Penn State cocaine ring used a membership system to support drug distribution. The case would then concern more than possession. It would also concern who directed new members, who benefited and which institutions had the power to intervene.