Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin is facing a new civil lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing a young man over the course of several years, according to court filings and interviews with the accuser.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan by Giuseppe Corletto, who says the alleged misconduct began in the early 2000s when he was 21 years old and seeking spiritual guidance. Corletto says he first met McClurkin at a church event on Long Island after reading the gospel singer’s autobiographical book, in which McClurkin wrote about overcoming his own struggles with sexuality.
According to the complaint, what initially appeared to be mentoring soon became grooming and abuse. Corletto, who later became McClurkin’s assistant, alleges inappropriate touching and molestation during private “pray the gay away” sessions, and that the conduct escalated into sexual assault and rape on work trips between 2007 and 2015.
A central piece of the lawsuit is an email that McClurkin allegedly sent to Corletto in 2013 after an incident in a Niagara Falls hotel room. In the message, the suit claims, McClurkin described himself as “the actual epitome of a desperate dirty ‘old man’” and apologized for “pawning and groping a young man who is just looking for a friendship.”
In an interview cited by NBC News, Corletto said the abuse left deep emotional scars and compounded his struggle to reconcile his sexuality with his faith. He told reporters he later found peace after embracing his identity and stepping away from efforts to change it.
McClurkin, 66, is a three-time Grammy Award winner and pastor known for his influence in gospel music and religious communities. His attorney, Greg Lisi, issued a statement denying the allegations, calling them “categorically false” and saying the interactions are “grossly mischaracterized.”
The lawsuit, filed under New York’s Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, seeks unspecified financial damages but has not resulted in any criminal charges. No court has ruled on the claims, and McClurkin has not been convicted of any wrongdoing in connection with the allegations as of the time of writing.
