The alleged kingpin of the Penn State drug scandal was a “loudmouth” at the all-boys Catholic school he attended, sources told The Post.
Agostino Abbatiello was taught faith, discipline and community at the $19,000-a-year Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York — but his classmates claim he was already pushing boundaries with his behavior while a teen.
“I could always see him getting in some kind of trouble because he was always on the edge,” a classmate in the same homeroom as Abbatiello, known to pals as “Auggie,” told The Post.
“Auggie was not this innocent boy. He had this group of, like, 10 boys who would hang out in parks after school and go to house parties.
“There were rumors some of that crowd were drinking underage, some people had fake IDs, that kind of thing.”
Abbatiello, 24, now stands accused of being ringleader of a cocaine dealing operation across two off-campus fraternities at Penn State, where he was allegedly known as “The Godfather” during his time at the university.
The news has shocked graduates of the ultra-competitive all-boys Catholic institution where he previously studied, which prides itself on “forming young men of character and purpose.”
However, away from daily prayers, confession and community volunteer work Abbatiello made a mark before graduating in 2020.
“He was a jokester, always looking for attention. He’d go around making noises, calling people names and doing his best to make people laugh when the teacher turned their backs”
Abbatiello appeared in court last Wednesday where his “very good friend” Lars Zeepvat, another Penn State graduate charged as part of the same scheme, testified the Long Island native bought large amounts of drugs from a dealer named “RJ” who he knew from high school.
“First time he purchased from RJ it was the most we’ve ever seen and it was 100 grams,” Zeepvat told the Centre County Courthouse. “People were enamored with how much it was.”
“Abbatiello brought back the coke the first time he went to New York and put it on the social room [at the] frat house,” he said.
The sources who spoke to The Post said they did not know who “RJ” is. Abbatiello’s lawyer, his parents, Chaminade High School and Penn State did not respond to calls and requests for comment from The Post.
A month before Abbatiello turned himself in to Pennsylvania police on August 18, his younger brother, Sebastiano Abbatiello, also found himself in cuffs charged with cocaine possession.
The 20-year-old, who followed his sibling to study at $45,000-a-year Penn State, was found with two grams of cocaine and a rolled-up dollar bill by Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officers, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Sebastiano was stopped by waterways conservation officers on Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir when the rental boat he was allegedly operating collided with another and made a loud ‘bang’, the document states. Cops claimed the 12-person vessel was overloaded.
Sebastiano’s driver’s license was found in his wallet alongside a plastic baggy.
“Sgt Lauer asked [Sebastiano] what was in the clear plastic baggy found in his wallet, Abbatiello responded ‘cocaine’,” the affidavit states.
The officers also claimed they found another empty plastic bag with a white powder residue labeled “stay high”.
He was charged with misdemeanor counts of operating a boat under the influence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 14.
Sebastiano attended the same Catholic school as his brother and graduated in 2024 before heading to Penn State.
The pair grew up in wealthy Long Island neighborhood Westbury with their parents Mario and Danielle Abbatiello. Their father has owned a paving and construction business since 1984.
“I knew he was from a well-off family who lived in a nice neighborhood so I guess it is surprising to people that he has found himself in as much trouble as he is in,” his former classmate said.
Abbatiello is accused of leading the cocaine operation at Penn State and allegedly started dealing drugs to become “popular.”
He gave away free coke at afterparties, blew cash on a new wardrobe and bought “a $5,000 bong” after raking in cash, Zeepvat told court.
Abbatiello was released Wednesday on a $250,000 secured bond after he was locked up without bail for a week for failing to turn himself in when prosecutors initially required.
