Daniel Wolfram
It seems like the perfect student from Penn State was living a double life.
Fraternity life in America usually revolves around drinking, having a good time, socializing, and being carefree.
Not for this student at a popular college in Central Pennsylvania. He used his seemingly perfect life with good grades and high standing in society to cover his secret double life as a major drug dealer.
This is a story not even Hollywood could come up with.
Life coach turned drug dealer
The 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello graduated from a very prestigious Catholic school on Long Island, New York, and was cruising toward a very comfortable life in finance as he was set to graduate as an accounting major at Pennsylvania State University.
He described himself as a sort of a “life coach” who was always doing things the “right” way, “regardless of who was watching.”
Suddenly, he was in handcuffs and incarcerated for being a major player in a drug trafficking scandal unfolding on school grounds.
Agostino Abbatiello was dubbed “Pablo Pledgescobar” on social media following his arrest. The nickname referenced cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar. Soon, other internet users added jokes like “Austin Powders” and “Kirk Cocaine.”
Prosecutors allege Abbatiello was at the “very top of the chain” in a cocaine ring run out of off-campus fraternity houses, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday.
A trail of evidence
Before the arrest, Abbatiello was an honors student who made the dean’s list three consecutive semesters, according to reporting by the Daily Voice. But court papers reveal a different side of him.
Investigators say Abbatiello bought cocaine from a dealer in New York and brought it back to campus with the intention of selling and supplying. Co-defendant Lars Zeepvat testified that Abbatiello once supplied half a kilo for $20,000, NBC News reported.
The operation began to fall apart when another student, Thomas Robinson, got caught accepting drug payments on Venmo under his own name. Robinson soon pointed officers toward Abbatiello.
A grand jury found that fraternity pledges helped cut and package the drugs inside Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon houses. The cocaine was then sold to fellow students.
Held without bail
The sweeping investigation resulted in felony charges against 14 people, including 13 current or former students. Robinson’s father, a prominent lawyer, was also charged after allegedly trying to hide cash and drugs in a safe.
Abbatiello eventually turned himself in to authorities. He was held without bail after failing to appear for initial court hearings.
Back in his hometown of Westbury, New York, neighbors expressed disbelief. One neighbor told Fox News that the family lived comfortably, adding, “They were all taken care of, spoon-fed.”
