Man Confesses To Kidnapping Of North Jersey Bodega Worker: Feds

PATERSON, NJ — A man has confessed to his role the kidnapping of a Paterson bodega worker, which officials said caused "serious bodily injury" to the victim.

Reginald Law, 38, was one of two men accused of dragging the victim from the store in October of 2020, before driving him to New York City and demanding that his family pay as much as $200,000 for his return.

Authorities said Law faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for kidnapping the man, and up to 20 years in prison on a charge of Hobbs Act robbery.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said that Law, a Queens resident, pleaded guilty to both crimes on Monday in Newark federal court.

Accomplice Maurice Cottman, of the Bronx, has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping.

Law and Cottman entered the bodega on Oct. 8, 2020, and assaulted the employee while he was working, according to court documents. The pair dragged the victim from the store, threw him into the back of a U-Haul truck, and drove to New York, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Law and Cottman pistol-whipped the victim, according to authorities. Later that morning, officials said that Cottman called the man's family and demanded as much as $200,000 for his return.

Police saw the U-Haul in Harlem, New York, later that afternoon. When officers approached, Cottman and Law fled, according to court documents. After the U-Haul crashed, they fled on foot, Sellinger said.

Officers apprehended Cottman that day, and found the victim in the back of the U-Haul. Law was a fugitive until his arrest on May 26, 2021.

Sentencing for Law is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025, according to Sellinger's office.