A civil lawsuit filed in New York is casting a shadow over the legacy of Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin, accusing him of sexually abusing a young man over the course of several years while positioning himself as a spiritual mentor.
According to NBC News, the complaint was brought by Giuseppe Corletto, who says he sought out McClurkin in the early 2000s while struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his Christian faith. Corletto says he was drawn to McClurkin after reading the pastor’s book about overcoming what McClurkin described as the “curse” of homosexuality.
According to the lawsuit, Corletto was 21 when he attended a church event on Long Island in 2003 and later met McClurkin privately. What initially appeared to be mentorship, Corletto now alleges, was the beginning of grooming that escalated into sexual abuse during so-called “pray the gay away” sessions and work-related travel.
“At first it was all very innocent and what I thought [was] mentoring,” Corletto said in an interview. He later added, “I thought I was to blame. I was brainwashed to think that my deliverance was wrapped up in him.”
The lawsuit claims the abuse continued for years while Corletto worked as McClurkin’s assistant and depended on him as both a spiritual leader and employer. After an alleged assault in a Niagara Falls hotel in 2013, McClurkin allegedly sent an email apologizing for his behavior, writing, “I am the actual epitome of a desperate dirty ‘old man’,” and adding, “I feel so foul…so stupid.”
McClurkin, now 66, has denied the allegations. His attorney said the claims are “categorically false,” stating that McClurkin “at no time did…engage in any form of sexual abuse, assault, or sexual coercion.”
Filed under New York City’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, the lawsuit seeks accountability and closure. Corletto says discovering the alleged apology years later brought validation.
“I didn’t make this up. I wasn’t crazy,” he said. “I felt vindicated in some ways…He’s literally admitting to his guilt.”