PATERSON, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A Bronx man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the 2020 kidnapping of a 70-year-old Paterson bodega owner, as well as an extortion plot to funnel thousands of dollars from the victim's family in exchange for his safe return.
Maurice Cottman, 42, previously pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of kidnapping, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Tuesday.
On Oct. 8, Cottman and his constipator, Reginald Law, assaulted the owner of the Easter Grocery and Food Market in Paterson, dragging him out of the store, throwing him into the back of a U-Haul truck, and driving him to New York. The victim was pistol whipped in the head and face by Cottman and Law.
Court documents and statements also said Cottman called the victim's family and told them that he had the victim and demanded amounts as high as $200,000 for his return.
That afternoon, law enforcement officers went to Harlem, where they saw the U-Haul parked on the street. When the officers approached, Cottman and Law fled in the truck and were followed. After some distance, the U-Haul crashed, and a foot pursuit ensued.
Eventually, the officers apprehended Cottman. The officers found the victim in the rear of the U-Haul. Law was arrested on May 26, 2021.
Along with Cottman's prison term, Judge Stanley R. Chesler sentenced Cottman to five years of supervised release.
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