A judge set bail on Wednesday for the former Penn State fraternity brother at the center of an alleged cocaine trafficking ring.Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine set bail at $250,000 for Agostino Abbatiello, according to online court records.As of Wednesday afternoon, Abbatiello has not posted bail, the records show.His attorney, Philip Masorti, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Abbatiello, 24, appeared at a hearing at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, roughly 10 miles north of the university.He wore a red jumpsuit and was handcuffed and escorted into the courthouse by police officers.He was arrested last month and charged with felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy, and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity.
Prosecutors allege Abbatiello was the main supplier for the trafficking ring, selling other fraternity members cocaine in amounts ranging from small quantities to as much as a kilogram, according to court documents.Thirteen other people were arrested in connection with the case, including current and former students and the father of a former student.Several co-defendants — including Thomas Michael Robinson, Mohammed Huraibi and Lars Zeepvat — waived their preliminary hearings and instead testified against Abbatiello at his bail hearing, according to NBC affiliate WJAC-TV.
A State College Police detective also testified, describing the alleged cocaine packaging operation involving the fraternities’ pledges, according to WJAC-TV.Unlike his co-defendants, Abbatiello was initially denied bail and has since been held at the Centre County Correctional Facility in Bellefonte.His attorney filed an emergency motion seeking bail, calling the denial “absurd” and disputing that Abbatiello posed a threat to the community.
“After a two-year investigation, law enforcement never once asserted the Defendant used violence, threatened violence, or was ever seen with any weapon,” the motion states.In the sa...