NEWARK, N.J. – A Queens, New York man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a Paterson, New Jersey, kidnapping, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Reginald Law, 39, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with kidnapping and Hobbs Act robbery.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On October 8, 2020, Law and his conspirator, Maurice Cottman, entered a retail store in Paterson, where they accosted the victim, who was working in the store. Law and Cottman physically removed the victim from the store, then transported him in the back of a U-Haul truck from Paterson to New York. Law admitted that during the kidnapping, he and Cottman called the victim’s family and demanded ransom for his return. Law and Cottman also forced the victim to give them his debit card and pin number, which they used to withdraw money from his bank accounts.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Padin sentenced Law to five years of supervised release.
Cottman previously pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to an Information charging him with one count of kidnapping. On March 29, 2022, Judge Chesler sentenced Cottman to 15 years in prison with five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence. He also thanked the FBI New York Field Office and the Paterson Police Department for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the Economic Crimes Unit.
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Defense counsel: Christopher L. Patella Esq., Bayonne, New Jersey
