A Pittsburgh attorney accused of concealing evidence related to an alleged cocaine trafficking ring among fraternity brothers at Pennsylvania State University will be tried in county court.
Paul Robinson appeared in court along with former Penn State students, where preliminary hearings took place ahead of a Centre County judge ruling that Robinson and five former students would have their cases tried in county court. Those hearings came after an investigation into alleged drug trafficking primarily at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses at Penn State during 2023 and 2024. In August, 14 people were charged in connection to the operation, with attorney Paul Robinson being the only non-student to face charges.
During a Sept. 2 hearing,
a former student and fraternity brother of Thomas Robinson, Paul Robinson's son and one of the alleged leaders of the drug trafficking operation who was previously charged with drug dealing in December 2024, testified that the elder Robinson had helped him move and conceal a safe suspected of containing cocaine.
Here's what to know.
Former student says Pittsburgh attorney helped retrieve, hide safe in drug trafficking ring
Ryan Matson, a former Penn State student and member of Delta Upsilon, said during a preliminary hearing on Sept. 2 that he knew Thomas Robinson, his fraternity brother from Churchill, was selling cocaine, according to TribLIVE reported. He said he kept Thomas Robinson's safe, which was suspected of holding cocaine, at his apartment, then hid it in a wooded area off East Mountain Road about a half hour away following Robinson's arrest in December 2024.
Matson testified that Paul Robinson visited to the fraternity house two days after his son posted bail, then drove with Matson to retrieve the safe while his son packed at the fraternity house. Matson and Robinson worked together to load the safe into the trunk of the car, with Robinson hiding it beneath a blanket.
Matson said that the elder Robinson texted him later, thanking him for being there for Thomas Robinson.
"Ryan, you are a great friend and person. Thank you for being there for Tom. I will remember it always. If you ever need anything … we love you, brother," Matson recalled Paul Robinson writing, TribLIVE reported. Matson also said the elder Robinson asked him "not to tell anyone" about the safe on the day they retrieved it from the woods.
Matson faced no charges as of the preliminary hearing on Sept. 2. He said he never accessed the safe and that Thomas Robinson never gave him the safe's key or combination.
Lawyer disputes allegations of Pittsburgh attorney concealing evidence in drug trafficking ring
Senior Deputy Attorney General Megan McGoron said Thomas Robinson testified during a grand jury investigation that at the start of the fall semester prior to his arrest, he put approximately 100 grams of cocaine and between $5,000 and $10,000 in the safe, TribLIVE reported.
But Paul Robinson's attorney, Michael DeRiso, said Robinson didn't know what was inside the safe. Following the hearing, he disputed the allegation that the safe contained drugs.
"There’s no evidence of what was in the safe," DeRiso said. "We’re all speculating here that there’s this massive amount of cocaine in this safe with all this money and, unless I missed something in that hearing, nothing was produced to suggest that."
Who is Pittsburgh attorney charged in Penn State cocaine trafficking ring?
Paul Robinson is an attorney at Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck, PLLC headquartered in Pittsburgh, according to the firm's website. His areas of practice include transportation, products of liability, commercial law, construction law and insurance litigation and coverage.
Robinson received his bachelor's degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1989 and his law degree from New England School of Law in 1992. He was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania in 1992 and in West Virginia in 1993, according to the firm's website. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania and Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Robinson is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Pennsylvania Defense Institution, Defense Research Institute and Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. He is a life fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and a delegate for Zone 12 of the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates.
In a statement to CBS News Pittsburgh last month, the law firm said it was aware of the charges filed against Robinson.
"The allegations concern Mr. Robinson individually and do not involve the Firm, its clients, or the legal services provided by the Firm," the statement said. "The Firm is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the matter. Because the criminal proceeding is ongoing, the Firm will not comment on the substance of the allegations or speculate regarding the evidence."
As of Aug. 20, Robinson was still working and practicing law, his attorney told TribLIVE.
The day prior, TribLIVE obtained a Facebook post, which has since been made private or deleted, in which Robinson expressed his gratitude for the support he and his family have received surrounding the allegations.
"I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of my so much appreciated friends that have shared their love with me and my family over these past two days," Robinson wrote in the post. "I don’t understand why my son who has done everything possible to move on and upward from this terrible mistake almost two years ago now had this re-raised. I promise I tried only to do what was right and lawful at all times."
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pittsburgh attorney accused of moving safe with drugs in cocaine ring
