ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Two Maryland fraternity brothers and Penn State University students charged in connection to an alleged cocaine ring at the school were released from custody Thursday.
Charles Weisman of Mount Airy and Michael Brogno Jr. of Ellicott City appeared in court for misdemeanor charges, according to WBAL.
According to the criminal complaints released Wednesday, Brogno delivered cocaine to customers for the ring's alleged second-in-command, Thomas Robinson, back in October 2024. Weisman has been accused of packaging the cocaine for Robinson between September and October 2024. They are among the eight men charged with misdemeanors in the case, while Robinson and four others are facing felony offenses, according to CBS News.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said that everyone charged in the case were students at or around the time of the alleged crimes, which took place at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternities between September 2023 and October 2024.
A 14th man, Robinson's father, also was arrested and charged with three felony counts for allegedly hindering the investigation, reports show.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the arrests Monday and said Robinson and another former student, Agostino Abbatiello, were "senior members of the fraternities" and main suppliers of the drug ring, regularly traveling to Philadelphia and New York to obtain the cocaine.
Pledges at the fraternities' off-campus houses then cut and packaged the drugs, including some who said they did so as "indoctrination," the attorney general said. The drugs were "mainly" sold to students at the university.
"We are horrified by these serious allegations against current and former students," Vice President for Student Affairs Andrea Dowhower said in a statement Monday.
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