Witness Says Penn State Cocaine Ring Figure Called Himself ‘The Godfather’ as Court Case Expands
STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania — A former Penn State student told a court this week that an accused cocaine ring leader in the university town styled
STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania — A former Penn State student told a court this week that an accused cocaine ring leader in the university town styled himself “The Godfather” after building a profitable drug operation tied to fraternities and student apartments.
Lars Zeepvat, who testified as a former student, said the operation began in 2022 when a small group of friends pooled money to buy cocaine from a Philadelphia source. What started as a modest arrangement, he said, grew into a much larger network between 2023 and 2025, with Agostino “Agui” Abbatiello at the center of it.
Witness paints a picture of a growing operation
Zeepvat said Abbatiello was drawn less to the drug itself than to the money and status that came with moving cocaine in volume. After securing a reliable supply from New York, Abbatiello began dealing product worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the testimony.
He also described a more conspicuous lifestyle. Abbatiello bought new clothes, placed high-stakes bets and, at one point, brought out bags of cocaine during after-parties tied to game days, inviting people to take free samples, Zeepvat said.
The witness said Abbatiello’s nickname reflected his self-image. “The Godfather,” Zeepvat told the court, was how Abbatiello referred to himself as his profile in the local drug trade grew.
Court testimony reaches into fraternity houses
The hearing also included testimony from another former student, Thomas Robinson, who identified himself as part of the cocaine operation. Robinson told the court he started selling cocaine with Mohammed Hurabibi in the spring of 2023 and discussed supply and profit splits with him.
Robinson said he stored cocaine in his room at the Delta Upsilon fraternity house and sold it in quantities of four to eight ounces to fraternity brothers and members of other fraternities. He also said he met Abbatiello outside his apartment building in February 2024 to pick up a shoebox containing cocaine.
According to the testimony, cocaine was openly displayed in a fraternity room, and the activity was widely known on campus. The hearings came as prosecutors with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office presented multiple witnesses, including former friends and alleged business associates, to build their case.
Bail fights and charged defendants
Abbatiello, 24, of Westbury, New York, has been charged with multiple counts of possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy. He has been detained since his arrest in August, though a court granted him $250,000 bail after the testimony.
Robinson, of Churchill, was also in court. He has been described by prosecutors as another alleged ringleader, and his father is facing a charge of concealing evidence.
An attorney for Abbatiello argued this week that it was unfair for him to remain jailed while Robinson had been released on bail. The filing pointed to Robinson’s alleged conduct, including prior resistance to detention, a loaded handgun in his vehicle and separate allegations involving drug sales to confidential informants.
The case has become one of the most closely watched campus-linked drug prosecutions in Pennsylvania, with testimony now turning on who supplied the cocaine, who handled the money and who knew how far the operation had spread. More witnesses are expected as the court continues to test the government’s account.
