Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin is being sued over allegations of years-long sexual abuse by a man who served as his personal assistant and mentee, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
What is Donnie McClurkin being accused of?
Giuseppe Corletto alleged that McClurkin sexually abused him for years after he initially sought the “We Fall Down” singer’s guidance to help him navigate his own life, according to the complaint filed Jan. 2 in the New York County Supreme Court, which NBC News obtained.
Corletto, who was 21 at the time, first met McClurkin in August 2003. McClurkin is the founder and senior pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Long Island, New York. The lawsuit states Corletto was struggling with his sexuality and faith and turned to the 66-year-old singer’s autobiographical book, which details McClurkin’s own struggles with homosexuality.
After the initial meeting, Corletto believed McClurkin could also help him be delivered from homosexuality, the same way the award-winning musician said God had delivered him from it. During the church event, McClurkin “talked about being raped as a child, which resonated with me because that’s similar to my story,” Corletto said in an interview with NBC News.
The alleged abuse began during spiritual sessions with McClurkin
Corletto has accused McClurkin of grooming him under the guise of mentorship and spiritual counseling. He said the abuse began during so-called “pray the gay away” sessions when McClurkin allegedly groped his genitals without consent. The alleged acts would escalate over time, as Corletto frequently traveled with McClurkin as his personal assistant, according to NBC News and USA Today.
Corletto stated that McClurkin coerced him into “further unwanted sexual acts” from 2007 to as recently as 2015. When he confided in other church members about the abuse, “no action was taken,” the lawsuit states.
Corletto said the alleged abuse occurred in various hotel rooms and would continue for years after he resigned in 2008. He said McClurkin had tracked him down and eventually sexually assaulted him twice, per USA Today. Despite years of alleged abuse, Corletto said he tried leaving multiple times, but McClurkin coerced him to stay under false pretences.
The lawuit includes an alleged apology email
The lawsuit also includes an image of an apology email that McClurkin allegedly sent to Corletto in 2013 regarding his behavior toward Corletto.
“I am the actual epitome of a desperate dirty ‘old man’…groping a young man who is just looking for a friendship and close plutonic relationship with someone he looks to for help, guidance and spirituality,” reads the email in the image. “You don’t have that desire for me and I shouldn’t have it for you. I forced myself on you,” the alleged email reads, according to Billboard.
McClurkin’s attorney, Greg Lisi, spoke out against the allegations against his client, calling them “categorically false.”
“At no time did Pastor McClurkin engage in any form of sexual abuse, assault, or sexual coercion of Mr. Corletto,” Lisi said, according to Billboard. “The claims set forth in the lawsuit grossly mischaracterize their interactions, which occurred over a decade, and some accusations over two decades ago.”
Corletto is seeking an unspecified amount in financial damages from McClurkin.
“As a result of the foregoing, plaintiff has sustained injury, emotional pain and suffering, physical pain, emotional distress, celibacy, pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life,” reads the lawsuit.