Fraternity pledges and fellow brothers allegedly chopped, weighed and packaged the drug
By Megan Swift, Tribune-Review, and Jason McGahan, NewsWorks Lab
Former Penn State fraternity brother Thomas Robinson turned the Delta Upsilon pledging process into something akin to a secret audition, according to court documents — testing whether pledges’ hands were steady enough for an undisclosed task before requiring those who passed to sign nondisclosure agreements.
The task? Cutting up blocks of cocaine, according to a new grand jury presentment document obtained by TribLive on Thursday.
Robinson, 23, of Churchill, the accused second-in-command of a suspected cocaine trafficking ring in State College, exploited the space and relative privacy of an off-campus fraternity house — and the free labor of fraternity pledges — to establish a sizable drug operation just blocks from campus, prosecutors have said.
To maintain secrecy, the suspected operation depended on pledges and fraternity brothers to observe an unspoken code of silence.
According to court documents, Robinson, a former finance student, converted a basement boiler room of the Delta Upsilon fraternity house into a processing hub for a cocaine operation, where he enlisted fraternity pledges and fellow brothers to chop, weigh and package the drug.
Robinson “used his leadership role” at Delta Upsilon, one of two Penn State fraternity houses involved in a suspected cocaine trafficking ring, “to recruit pledges to assist him in his drug distribution operation,” according to grand jury testimony.
“Various (Delta Upsilon) pledges helped him cut up the cocaine, adding cut (creatine) to it and putting it in half-gram bags,” the presentment says. “Robinson testified that he recruited new DU pledges each semester to assist with his cocaine distribution.”
Preparing 1 kilogram for sale took approximately two days, or 10 hours spread over two days, according to the grand jury presentment.
Robinson told the grand jury that he was one of the Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers who “took on the role of obtaining, preparing, dealing and selling controlled substances, such as Adderall pills, marijuana and cocaine,” the grand jury presentment says.
The cocaine was sourced from Philadelphia and Long Island. Much of the marijuana Robinson sold to Penn State students he purchased in bulk from a Native American reservation in the state of New York, according to the presentment.
But when fellow fraternity brothers began voicing concerns to Robinson about the suspected cocaine trafficking ring, saying it was “getting too big” and “he was exposing himself and people around him to being arrested,” he ignored them, according to Ryan Matson, Robinson’s “best friend” at the fraternity, in his testimony to the grand jury.
“Robinson ignored the cautions and continued to deal drugs and expand his customer base by selling to non-fraternity members,” Matson testified.
Authorities have charged 13 former and current Penn State students in connection with the suspected cocaine ring, including Robinson and his father, Paul Robinson, 59, of Churchill. He is the only nonstudent charged.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the charges Aug. 17 and described the alleged ring as being run out of the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses.
Matson did not face charges as of Thursday.
Robinson was involved in 10 cocaine transactions totaling about $143,000 over a 15-month span, purchasing cocaine from alleged ringleader Agostino Abbatiello, Robinson testified in court.
Preliminary hearings for Abbatiello, 24, of Westbury, N.Y., and Paul Robinson were held Sept. 2. Some suspects waived their right to a preliminary hearing. The remaining suspects are scheduled for preliminary hearings on Oct. 14 in Centre County.
Thomas Robinson’s attorney, Jason S. Dunkle with JD Law in State College, did not return TribLive’s request for comment Thursday.
Pledging Delta Upsilon
Robinson served as the “new member educator” for Delta Upsilon’s spring and fall pledge classes in 2024, according to the grand jury presentment, whose role is “to act as the mediator between the pledges and the pledge masters when there are disputes,” the presentment says.
“Based upon testimony, it was clear that Robinson used his position as pledge educator to recruit pledges to assist him in his drug operation,” the grand jury presentment says.
Each pledge class has “pledge masters,” who are fraternity brothers assigned to supervise the pledge class. The number of pledge masters per pledge class is decided by the fraternity.
“The pledges who testified before the grand jury indicated that Robinson was ‘calling the shots’ in terms of the pledges assisting him with the preparation and distribution of cocaine,” the presentment says.
Though the pledging process differs depending on the specific fraternity, the pledging process at Delta Upsilon lasts approximately eight weeks, according to grand jury testimony. The pledge process is what ensues after those interested in joining fraternities receive a “bid” to join that fraternity.
“Pledges are expected to be at the fraternity 24/7, except when they are in class or have an important event/task outside the fraternity,” according to the grand jury presentment. “During the process, pledges are expected to be at the fraternity brothers’ ‘beck and call,’ doing multiple tasks for them.”
If pledges don’t complete their assigned tasks correctly, a pledge master decides the punishment, according to Robinson’s grand jury testimony.
“Whether the task is done correctly is determined by the fraternity brother who requested the task,” the presentment says.
A pledge isn’t obligated to stay with the fraternity, according to grand jury testimony, but “it was the expectation that if they stay with the fraternity, they stay loyal to the fraternity.”
“Consistent with that is the unspoken rule that no one talks about what goes on at the fraternity, and no one reports what happens at the fraternity to law enforcement or (Penn State administration) regardless of the situation(s) that may occur at the fraternity,” the presentment says. “This mentality spilled over to the use and dealing of drugs at each fraternity.”
A pledge called M.B. in the presentment said he delivered bags of cocaine to people who were not fraternity members on three separate occasions “at Robinson’s directive.”
Another pledge, D.P., made deliveries approximately 10 times at the request of Robinson, including a delivery to a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.
In a three-way text group chat on March 19, 2024, Robinson directed D.P. and fellow pledge K.R. to go to Walmart and other business to obtain the following supplies, according to the grand jury presentment:
- A white folding table
- Two glass trays
- Two protective covid masks
- Two pairs of lab goggles
- 15 packs of dime bags
The two pledges brought these items back to Robinson’s fraternity room, the presentment says, at which point, Robinson “produced a large zip-lock bag containing a semi-solid brick of what D.P. and K.R. concluded was cocaine.”
“Robinson then showed them how to break down the brick of cocaine, process the cocaine and prepare it for sale,” the presentment says.
Creatine was used as “cut,” or a substance used to increase the volume of the drugs to increase profits, according to the presentment.
“After the cut was added, D.P. and K.R. put the cocaine mixture in half-gram bags and weighed each bag to ensure it contained approximately a half gram of cocaine, as directed by Robinson,” the presentment says. “D.P. estimated that approximately 200 to 300 half-gram bags were made.”
D.P. testified that Matson and three pledge masters came in and out of Robinson’s room while they were preparing cocaine and “no one seemed surprised.”
Three other pledges, called S.B., C.W. and L.L., had also assisted Robinson in preparing cocaine for distribution, according to the presentment, but they prepared it in the basement (boiler room) of Delta Upsilon on the first two occasions and then in Robinson’s bedroom on the third.
According to C.W.’s grand jury testimony, he was contacted by Robinson during the pledge process and asked to “get two other pledges who were trustworthy.”
“Robinson directed all three pledges … to hold out their hands. If their hands were steady, they were allowed to continue to assist Robinson, although they did not know the task they were being asked to do,” the presentment says.
A pledge, L.H. didn’t pass and was “rejected from assisting Robinson,” the presentment says. Those who passed the “steady hand test” were directed to “go online and print three copies of a non-disclosure form.”
Robinson had the pledges sign the forms and then “tore them up and threw them away,” the presentment says.
“C.W. was instructed to retrieve a footlocker from the trunk of Robinson’s car … the footlocker contained goggles, masks, gloves, Pyrex dishes, a digital scale and half-gram zip-lock baggies,” the presentment says. “Robinson then placed a brick-like amount of cocaine on the folding table. One of the pledges shredded the cocaine while Robinson added creatine to the cocaine.
“The other two pledges put the cocaine into the half-gram bags and weighed the bags.”
On three separate occasions during a three-week period, C.W., S.B. and L.L. prepared approximately 100 to 200 half-gram bags of cocaine in the boiler room/basement of Delta Upsilon, according to grand jury testimony.
Expanding drug culture
Robinson told the grand jury that he personally started using Adderall, marijuana, alcohol and cocaine “soon after he was accepted” to Delta Upsilon as a brother on Nov. 17, 2022.
During his pledge process, Robinson testified that he discovered a substantial drug culture at Delta Upsilon run by “a number of individuals” in the frat who were selling the “controlled substances” to brothers, according to the presentment.
The “normal procedure,” according to Robinson’s grand jury testimony, was that when a Delta Upsilon fraternity brother graduated or went overseas, “they relinquished their roles in selling controlled substances and another brother would take their place.”
Matson, who testified as a witness against Robinson’s father, prominent Pittsburgh attorney Paul Robinson, also testified to the grand jury “regarding his involvement in DU’s drug distribution operation.”
Thomas Robinson began using and dealing — primarily cocaine — when they both moved into the fraternity house in fall 2023, according to Matson’s testimony.
During social gatherings at the Delta Upsilon fraternity house, Robinson testified to the grand jury that marijuana, alcohol and cocaine were openly used.
“There was either a silent acceptance of the drug activity or active involvement in the use and distribution of drugs by the members of the fraternity,” the presentment says.
Before Robinson took charge, the cocaine, marijuana and Adderall trades at Delta Upsilon were in the hands of multiple different fraternity brothers, according to the grand jury presentment.
Adderall pills were used by Delta Upsilon brothers to “help them focus on schoolwork, papers and tests,” according to Robinson’s grand jury testimony.
“Generally, at least one brother had a prescription for Adderall,” the presentment says. “The fraternity members used that brother’s (or brothers’) prescription(s) to obtain the Adderall.”
Robinson took over the cocaine trade at the fraternity initially in partnership with a fellow fraternity brother, the “main supplier of the cocaine,” who was identified as M.H. in the presentment.
According to M.H.’s grand jury testimony, in fall 2023, he “decided to get out of the cocaine trade and asked Robinson to assist him and eventually take over the cocaine trade.”
“M.H. introduced Robinson to his (cocaine) source, A.A.,” the presentment says.
Matson testified that he “eventually began assisting Robinson in preparing the cocaine for distribution,” and that he and other Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers “helped deliver/sell cocaine to their fraternity brothers.”
Robinson later brought up an idea to Matson: having the Delta Upsilon pledges “agree to prepare the cocaine,” according to Matson’s grand jury testimony.
By the start of spring 2024, Robinson had solo control over the growing cocaine trade at Delta Upsilon, according to court testimony.
He previously took over the marijuana trade at the fraternity starting in fall 2023, according to the grand jury presentment.
Robinson’s friend from the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, called H.S. in the presentment, knew of a Native American reservation located in Salamanca, N.Y., where Robinson would be able to “purchase a better quality of marijuana and at a cheaper price,” the presentment says.
“The reservation was a convenient and risk-free area for them to obtain marijuana,” according to the grand jury presentment. “They have their own laws and regulations. Marijuana is legal there and not subject to any state or federal laws or taxes.”
Robinson initially accompanied H.S. to the reservation in spring 2023, according to the grand jury presentment, and eventually, Robinson started purchasing ounces of marijuana for himself — which “turned into purchasing pounds for personal use and to sell to others.”
While with H.S., Robinson asked if “he wanted to be a partner in the (cocaine) operation,” the presentment says, which H.S. declined, telling Robinson “he was in way over his head.”
“(Robinson) told the grand jury that he could purchase a pound of marijuana for $300, and that even though he used some of the marijuana himself, he still made a profit of $1,500 to $1,800 from each pound,” the presentment says.
Robinson stopped purchasing marijuana from the reservation when a friend introduced him to an app called “Telegram,” where he could purchase marijuana from California through the mail.
“This method was less time-consuming and safer because the marijuana was delivered directly to Robinson at the fraternity house,” the presentment says. “He and H.S. were no longer taking the risk of the police stopping them when they were transporting the marijuana … to the PSU campus.”
Robinson used Telegram approximately eight to 10 times to acquire marijuana during the spring 2024 semester, according to his grand jury testimony, purchasing one pound the first time and then increasing purchases to two pounds — turning a profit of between $1,500 and $2,000 per pound, according to the grand jury presentment.
Matson testified to the grand jury that “everyone in the fraternity knew Robinson supplied the Adderall, marijuana and cocaine if anyone wanted to purchase those drugs,” the presentment says.
“Robinson, due to his position on the (Delta Upsilon) Executive Board and status in the fraternity, was looked up to by many DU members and was perceived as being a well-respected brother of the fraternity,” the presentment says. “Additionally, Robinson achieved ‘Senior Status,’ within the fraternity, which gave him greater influence over the pledges and allowed him to request more from them.”
According to grand jury testimony from the various brothers, the 2024 fraternity president, A.P., and the upcoming 2025 fraternity president, T.K., held a meeting at Delta Upsilon the day after Robinson’s initial December 2024 arrest, which was organized by a message sent to brothers through the Group Me app.
“At that meeting, A.P. and T.K. told the fraternity members about what happened with Robinson,” the presentment says. “They also told the fraternity members that anyone who had been involved with Robinson and what he was doing should get a lawyer and not talk to the police.
“They also directed the members of the fraternity to let them know if they get contacted by law enforcement, such as through receipt of a subpoena.”
Jason McGahan is a staff writer for NewsWorksLab.
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.
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