Pittsburgh attorney helped retrieve son’s hidden safe in connection with Penn State cocaine ring, ex-student testifies

BELLEFONTE — A former Penn State student testified Wednesday that he hid a safe containing suspected drug evidence in Centre County woods after a friend accused of helping run a cocaine ring was arrested — and he later retrieved the safe with the friend’s father, who also is charged in the case.

Ryan Matson, a former Penn State student and member of Delta Upsilon, took the stand during a preliminary hearing and testified that he knew his fraternity brother Thomas Robinson, 23, of Churchill, was selling cocaine.

Robinson is one of 14 people charged in a suspected cocaine ring at the university. Matson had not been charged as of Wednesday.

Robinson’s father, Paul Robinson, 59, of Churchill, is the only non-student facing criminal charges in connection with the scandal. A managing attorney at Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck in Pittsburgh, he is charged with felony tampering and hindering apprehension for trying to conceal evidence.

After the hearing, Centre County Common Pleas President Judge Jonathan Grine ruled there was enough evidence against Paul Robinson to send his case to trial.

Matson testified that he hid the safe belonging to the younger Robinson in the woods after Robinson’s arrest in December 2024.

Matson said he kept the safe, which allegedly contained cocaine, at his apartment down the street from the fraternity house as a favor to Thomas Robinson.

“He wanted to store it somewhere more secure,” Matson said.

Matson testified that he stored the safe under his bedroom desk. Robinson never gave Matson the key or combination, and Matson was never able to access the safe himself.

“It remained there the entire semester until we got busted,” Matson testified.

Then, Matson said, he and another student took the safe and drove 30 to 35 minutes until they reached an area off East Mountain Road.

Matson said he took the safe from a duffel bag, ran into the woods and hid it.

“I ran down to the woods and put the safe next to a tree and covered it with leaves and dirt and sticks,” Matson testified.

Two days after Thomas Robinson posted bail, his father drove to the fraternity house, Matson said. Later, Paul Robinson drove with Matson to find the safe, while the younger Robinson was packing at the frat house, Matson testified.

After Matson retrieved the safe from the woods, Paul Robinson helped load it into the trunk of his car and covered it with a blanket, Matson testified.

Paul Robinson later sent Matson a text message thanking him for being there for his son, Matson testified.

“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,” Paul Robinson wrote, according to Matson’s testimony.

During cross-examination by Robinson’s attorney, Michael DeRiso, Matson said the last time he had seen the contents of the safe was in September 2024.

“I wouldn’t see him go into the safe,” Matson said in response to DeRiso’s questioning about Thomas Robinson.

DeRiso has maintained Paul Robinson did not know what was inside the safe. He pointed out that texts between Paul Robinson and Matson do not mention money or drugs.

Matson testified that Paul Robinson offered him “no incentives” related to the safe.

However, Matson said the elder Robinson made a request.

“(Paul Robinson) asked me not to tell anyone about it,” Matson testified, saying the conversation took place verbally on the day they went to the woods.

Senior state Deputy Attorney General Megan McGoron said Wednesday that Thomas Robinson testified in the grand jury investigation that he had placed about 100 grams of cocaine and between $5,000 and $10,000 in the safe at the beginning of that fall semester before his arrest.

“(Matson is) immediately panicking because there’s evidence of a crime within the safe,” McGoron said of Matson’s decision to hide the safe after Thomas Robinson was arrested.

After the hearing, DeRiso continued to defend the elder Robinson.

“There’s no evidence of what was in the safe,” he 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.”