The alleged kingpin of a student drug ring at Pennsylvania State University is being mocked online after being locked up without bail following a sting operation in an off-campus fraternity house.
Agostino Abbatiello, 24, was dubbed “Pablo Pledgescobar” by the online prediction market Polymarket over allegations that aspiring fraternity brothers cut and bagged cocaine that was later sold to Penn State students and others in 2023 and 2024.
The nickname quickly lit up the internet, with countless social media users riffing on the play on words involving the name of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar, founder of Colombia’s infamous Medellín Cartel. “Pablo Pledgescobar is awesome but many of his friends call him Austin Powders. Some called him Nostrildamus. His girlfriend called him Kirk Cocaine,” one user wrote.
Before his arrest Tuesday, Abbatiello had described himself online as an accounting student who made the dean’s list for three consecutive semesters, according to the Daily Voice, which cited a since-deleted university webpage.
Abbatiello, of Westbury, New York, also wrote a blog post titled “The Changing Role of Accountants in the Data-Driven World,” which has likewise been removed from Penn State’s website.
open image in galleryA grand jury’s findings of fact allege that Abbatiello, a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, was undone when Delta Upsilon brother and alleged drug dealer Thomas Robinson, 23, identified Abbatiello as his supplier after getting arrested on drug charges in December 2024.
The bust came after Robinson allegedly sold cocaine inside the Delta Upsilon house to a confidential police informant on six occasions, starting in September 2024.
Robinson and Abbatiello are among 14 defendants charged Monday in a case that targeted 13 current or former Penn State students and Robinson’s father, Paul Robinson, a prominent Pittsburgh lawyer who allegedly “took steps to conceal evidence, including a safe containing drugs and cash, and obstruct this investigation,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said.
Sunday also described Abbatiello as having been at the “very top of the chain” in the alleged drug-selling operation.
Also revealed in court papers are allegations that:
•Thomas Robinson was initially arrested after authorities were tipped off that he was allegedly accepting payments for drugs through a Venmo account with the username “Tom-Robinson,” according to NBC News.
• Co-defendant Mohammed Huraibi, a Delta Upsilon brother, told the grand jury that Abbatiello delivered 100 grams of cocaine to his fraternity house in fall 2023 after Huraibi used Snapchat to arrange the $4,000 deal.
• Another co-defendant, Sigma Chi brother Lars Zeepvat, testified that he initially supplied Abbatiello with cocaine from a dealer in Philadelphia, but that Abbatiello later found a dealer in his hometown who supplied them “with larger amounts.”
• Abbatiello allegedly began purchasing around 100 grams every three to six weeks but in spring 2024, he allegedly delivered 500 grams, or half a kilo, to Robinson for $20,000, Zeepvat testified.
• Zeepvat also told grand jurors that Abbatiello boasted about how much money he was making, and that he forced Zeepvat to deliver drugs for him when Zeepvat was unable to pay back $1,500 Zeepvat borrowed for a spring break vacation with other fraternity brothers.
open image in galleryAbbatiello surrendered to authorities Tuesday and was ordered held without bail after failing to appear for a scheduled arraignment on Monday.
His defense lawyer didn’t immediately return a Wednesday inquiry from The Independent.
Abbatiello’s father, Mario Abbatiello, declined to comment outside the family’s home on Tuesday, according to reports.
The 3,252-square-foot Colonial was purchased for $400,000 in 2003 and now has an estimated value of $1.4 million, according to Zillow.
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open image in galleryA neighbor told Fox Digital that Mario Abbatiello owns an asphalt company and has said that his son “had a nice job in accounting.”
The neighbor also said Agostino Abbatiello was one of three siblings who enjoyed cushy childhoods.
“They were all taken care of, spoon-fed,” he said. “They weren’t the kind of kids to take the garbage out or shovel the snow.”
Another neighbor told Fox Digital that she was shocked when news crews arrived in the wake of Agostino Abbatiello’s arrest.
“They are pretty nice people next door, pretty obliging if I need anything,” she said.