Five Men Charged in Penn State Cocaine Distribution Ring Plan to Plead Not Guilty

<p>Five men accused of involvement in a cocaine distribution ring at Penn State have filed court documents in Centre County, Pennsylvania, indicating their intention to contest the charges. The defendants—Agostino Abbatiello, Mohammed Huraibi, Robert Zanolla, Thomas Robinson, and Paul Robinson—plan to plead not guilty as their cases progress in court.</p><p>This decision follows testimony that outlined significant drug transactions and a drug-packaging operation conducted within a fraternity house. One attorney cautioned against rushing to judgment, calling it "foolish." </p><p>The Office of the Court Administrator reported that the five defendants waived their formal arraignments, which were scheduled for Wednesday, and will not appear at the Centre County Courthouse. Their next court appearance is set for November 16 for a pretrial conference.</p><p>Abbatiello, Zanolla, and Thomas Robinson have requested jury trials on their waiver forms. Huraibi and Paul Robinson have also indicated their intent to plead not guilty but have not specified whether they will opt for a jury or non-jury trial.</p><p>These five individuals are part of a larger group of 14 people charged in connection with the alleged operation, which prosecutors claim utilized fraternity connections to distribute cocaine in State College before packaging and selling it to Penn State students.</p><p>Thomas Robinson, a former member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, testified that he and Huraibi began purchasing cocaine from Abbatiello in 2023, starting with approximately 100 grams for around $4,000. Robinson stated that the cocaine was stored in his fraternity room, where he and Huraibi divided it into half-gram bags for sale at about $80 each.</p><p>Robinson further testified that their purchases eventually escalated to kilogram-sized amounts, and he began buying directly from Abbatiello via Snapchat, where messages disappear after 24 hours.</p><p>Huraibi corroborated Robinson's testimony, stating that they initially packaged the drugs themselves before fraternity pledges became involved.</p><p>Charging documents identify Abbatiello as a primary supplier who allegedly leveraged fraternity connections to distribute cocaine near Penn State. Zanolla is accused of making trips to New York to procure cocaine and transport it back to the State College area.</p><p>Zanolla's attorney, Korey Leslie, confirmed that his client has formally pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial. Leslie indicated that the defense has requested all evidence the Commonwealth plans to present at trial and will review it in preparation for potential pretrial litigation.</p><p>Paul Robinson faces separate allegations, with testimony from Ryan Matson stating that Robinson assisted in retrieving a safe hidden in the woods after Thomas Robinson's arrest. Matson claimed that Thomas wanted to prevent drugs and money from being discovered during a potential raid.</p><p>Matson testified that Paul Robinson was aware of the safe's location and later advised him to keep it confidential. Under questioning, Matson admitted he had not opened the safe and initially withheld information from investigators to protect Thomas.</p><p>Paul Robinson's attorney, Michael DeRiso, has questioned whether Robinson was aware of the contents of the safe. DeRiso characterized the waiver of formal arraignment as a procedural matter, stating it initiates the timeline for pretrial motions and allows attorneys to request discovery while providing the defense with the formal charging document.</p><p>A judge has previously determined that sufficient evidence exists for the charges against all five defendants to proceed. Fox News Digital has also contacted attorneys representing the other defendants. Philip Masorti, Abbatiello's attorney, stated he is currently declining media requests.</p>