Grammy award-winning gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin, 66, is the latest respected church leader to be accused of sexual abuse. News of a civil lawsuit against McClurkin is shaking the Black community. Now, an attorney for the gospel icon is finally addressing the matter.
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Giuseppe Corletto filed the suit in New York City on Friday (Jan. 2). He alleged McClurkin abused him for over years and even apologized for his actions, according to News 12. Attorney Greg Lisi, who represents the singer, released a statement calling the bombshell allegations “categorically false.”
He told NBC News, “At no time did Pastor McClurkin engage in any form of sexual abuse, assault, or sexual coercion of Mr. Corletto.” He added, “The claims set forth in the lawsuit grossly mischaracterize their interactions, which occurred over a decade, and some accusations over 2 decades, ago. All these allegations are contradicted by the real facts.”
In the lawsuit, Corletto claimed he first reached out to McClurkin in 2003 after struggling with his sexual identity. He was only 21 and soon joined McClurkin’s church in New York after reading his autobiography which explained how God helped him overcome the “curse” of homosexuality.
“I truly did believe he was fully delivered from homosexuality,” Corletto told NBC. “I was doing whatever they were saying to rid myself of it.”
McClurkin admitted in his 2001 book, “Eternal Victim-Eternal Victor,” that his uncle sexually abused him when he was a child, which is what McClurkin believes “caused” his homosexuality. Corletto described to NBC News how McClurkin’s account of his own sexual abuse resonated with him “because that’s similar to my story.” After meeting McClurkin for the first time, Corletto alleged the pastor took an immediate interest in him.
“At first it was all very innocent and what I thought [was] mentoring,” Corletto said in the recent interview. Soon, however, McClurkin’s attention allegedly turned into explicit grooming. McClurkin allegedly molested Corletto during “pray the gay away” spiritual sessions between the two men. As time went on, Corletto even became McClurkin’s assistant, making him more susceptible to the gospel singer’s alleged attacks.
According to the lawsuit, Corletto “struggled to process these incidents of sexual abuse, as [McClurkin] was both his mentor and employer, making it difficult for him to speak out about the abuse he had suffered.”
He quit working for McClurkin in 2008, but the singer allegedly continued to pursue him. While McClurkin’s team denies any inappropriate relationship with the man, Corletto’s lawsuit detailed an alleged sexual assault at a Niagara Falls hotel in 2013. After the incident, McClurkin allegedly emailed Corletto to apologize for the assault.
“I am the actual epitome of a desperate dirty ‘old man’,” the singer allegedly wrote. “Pawning and groping a young man who is just looking for a friendship and close plutonic relationship with someone he wants looks to for help, guidance and spirituality,” the message continued.
“I feel so foul…so stupid,” McClurkin wrote. Corletto said he attempted to commit suicide after the 2013 event and ultimately left the church. It wasn’t until 2025 that he discovered McClurkin’s 2013 email, however. “I didn’t make this up. I wasn’t crazy,” Corletto said. “I felt vindicated in some ways… He’s literally admitting to his guilt.”
Now, he wants financial and emotional compensation for McClurkin’s alleged abuse. Although Corletto has left McClurkin’s church, he told NBC news he still finds joy in gospel music. “In many aspects, though I lost friends, community, my religion … I found myself, my family, my peace,” he said.
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