Fourteen people were charged this week in connection with what the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office branded, Operation Drugs Unlimited. Thirteen of them were Penn State students at or around the time of the alleged conduct in 2023 and 2024, when prosecutors say the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi houses at Penn State were cutting and packaging cocaine kilos at a time. The AG’s office should never be forgiven for overlooking “Operation White Out.”
Agostino Abbatiello, reportedly referred to by colleagues as “Pablo Pledgescobar” — even though “Blow Paterno” is objectively funnier — supposedly ran the fraternity row cocaine cartel along with Thomas Robinson. Does that make him “Jerry SanDustKy?” According to the prosecution, leaders used working for the drug ring as an initiation task for pledges, which is apparently frowned upon.
First you can’t make pledges play Edward Fortyhands, now you can’t force them to package drugs for distribution. Look at what wokeness has taken from us.
The fourteenth person arrested was a fraternity brother too — though not at either Delta Upsilon or Sigma Chi — and he was not a Penn State student at the time, but a 59-year-old lawyer. It’s sort of like Old School. But with more cocaine.
Paul Robinson, Thomas’s father, chairs the product liability and transportation groups at Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck. Ironically, product and transportation are the source of his two big problems right now.
The charges against the attorney are not directly related to moving drugs, but rather “felony tampering, hindering apprehension for taking steps to conceal evidence, including a safe containing drugs and cash, and obstructing the investigation.”
Per the firm’s own materials, Robinson joined Meyer Darragh in 1992 out of New England School of Law and made partner in 1997.
The firm, for its part, told KDKA that “[t]he allegations concern Mr. Robinson individually and do not involve the Firm, its clients, or the legal services provided by the Firm.”
This all sounds like the beginning of an ignominious end for a legal career, but it’s important to remember that everyone is presumed innocent and Robinson can still fight back against these charges no matter how bad they look.
I mean, was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
Dad busted in Penn State frat bro cocaine trafficking ring case is prominent Pittsburgh lawyer [New York Post]
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.