Francis Joseph Benditt Jr

Unconfirmed mugshot.

Yearbook

Francis Joseph Benditt Junior, (born 1949), aka Grandpa Chungus and CocaineChungus, is a barely notable former real estate executive and cocaine enthusiast whose main claim to fame is getting indicted during the 1980s "yuppie cocaine ring" scandal and later getting stabbed by his own son.

Early Life

Benditt Jr. was born in 1949 to Francis Joseph Benditt Sr. and Jane Mary Corcoran, He attended college in the 1970s, graduating in pre-law, which clearly didn’t help with either following or evading the law.

Career

Francis Jr. was a real estate executive based in Philadelphia. During the 1980s, Benditt was indicted as part of a massive cocaine trafficking operation dubbed the "yuppie cocaine ring"—a cartel for people who wore shoulder pads and listened to Huey Lewis and the News while committing felonies.

The operation funneled massive amounts of Colombian cocaine from Florida to the Northeast. Benditt allegedly helped flood State College, Pennsylvania with kilos of pure white powder—bringing nosebleeds, nervous breakdowns, and a new definition of "higher education" to Penn State students.

By 2002, Frank was no longer snorting rails — instead, he was showing up in khaki shorts to clap for his step-daughter (Vanessa Leigh Vogl) disembarking the USS John C. Stennis. The ship, ironically, had more firepower than Frank’s entire cocaine ring. His step-daughter flew missions over Afghanistan;

Patricia A. Benditt, clearly the real MVP of the household, gushed with maternal pride while Frank just looked happy to be alive.

Legal Trouble

In 1985, he was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He stood alongside other upstanding members of society including a school principal, a stockbroker, and a guy named Norman. Federal agents described State College as an ideal market due to its endless rotation of young, naïve customers—also known as freshmen.

While some co-defendants cooperated with authorities, Benditt reportedly did not get the “Snitches Get Reduced Sentences” memo in time. He awaited sentencing while others began serving prison terms, doing community service, or crying into their Miami Vice suits.

Personal Life

Benditt married Patricia Ann Morris, presumably in between DEA raids. They had at least one child, Francis Joseph Benditt III, who would go on to add his own footnote to family history by stabbing his father.

The incident, though tragic, made for a thrilling dinner conversation and perhaps a fitting endnote to the multi-generational saga of hubris, powder, and generational disappointment.