Early life Cotto was born and raised in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York to Puerto Rican-American parents. She studied drama at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. She trained at the William Esper Studio and studied dance. Career After studying dance, she was given a small role in Lean on Me. After being away from acting she made an appearance in Law & Order. She was later featured in films Girl 6 and Personals. In 2002, Cotto had her first starring role in the feature film Empire playing John Leguizamo's girlfriend Carmen. She starred in the television series Kingpin until its cancellation in 2004. She was featured in Cinemax's short film entitled Stories of Lost Souls alongside James Gandolfini. Her other film credits include Splinter, Broken Circle, Rockaway and Illegal Tender. She has also made guest appearances on many television shows such as Trinity, Oz, CSI: Miami and Cuts; has performed in an off-Broadway entitled "Cloud Tectonics" in the role of Celestina Del Sol; and has appeared on the cover of popular magazines such as Open Your Eyes (OYE) twice, Tinta Latina and Profile.