Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Role in Paterson Kidnapping and Robbery

Reginald Law transported the victim across state lines in a U-Haul truck, demanded ransom, and stole funds using the victim’s debit card.

PATERSON, NJ - A Queens, New York man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his involvement in the 2020 kidnapping and robbery of a retail worker in Paterson, New Jersey, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.

Reginald Law, 39, pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court. The sentencing also includes five years of supervised release following his prison term.

According to court documents and statements made during proceedings, Law and co-conspirator Maurice Cottman entered a Paterson retail store on October 8, 2020. There, they physically removed a store employee and forcibly transported him across state lines in the back of a U-Haul truck to New York.

During the kidnapping, Law and Cottman contacted the victim’s family to demand a ransom. The duo also coerced the victim into providing his debit card and PIN number, which they used to access his bank accounts and withdraw money.

Maurice Cottman previously pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping and was sentenced on March 29, 2022, by Senior U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release.

The investigation was led by special agents of the FBI's Newark office, under Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with assistance from the FBI’s New York Field Office and the Paterson Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the Economic Crimes Unit.