By: Richard L. Smith
A Queens, New York man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his involvement in a violent kidnapping and robbery that began inside a Paterson, New Jersey retail store and ended across state lines, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Reginald Law, 39, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin to charges of kidnapping and Hobbs Act robbery.
The charges stem from a harrowing incident that took place on October 8, 2020.
Federal prosecutors said Law and his accomplice, Maurice Cottman, entered a retail shop in Paterson and forcibly abducted a store employee.
The pair transported the victim in the back of a U-Haul truck from New Jersey to New York.
During the ordeal, Law and Cottman contacted the victim’s family and demanded a ransom for his release.
They also coerced the victim into handing over his debit card and PIN, which they used to withdraw funds from his bank accounts.
In addition to the 15-year prison term, Judge Padin ordered Law to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence.
Cottman had previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping and was sentenced in March 2022 to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release by Senior U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler.