Donnie McClurkin Sued for Alleged Sexual Assaults Over Decade

A civil lawsuit filed in New York state court accuses Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin of repeatedly sexually assaulting and raping a former congregant over nearly a decade, allegations that McClurkin's attorney has categorically denied. The complaint, brought by plaintiff Giuseppe Corletto, details misconduct allegedly occurring between 2007 and 2015 during business trips and personal interactions, seeking unspecified monetary damages for physical, emotional, and psychological harm.

Corletto, who was 21 when he first joined McClurkin's Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, Long Island, in 2003, said he sought spiritual guidance amid struggles with his sexuality. He had read McClurkin's 2001 autobiography, in which the pastor described overcoming what he called the "curse of homosexuality" through faith, drawing parallels to his own experiences of childhood sexual abuse. According to the lawsuit, McClurkin, then 44, offered prayer sessions and mentorship framed as helping Corletto achieve "deliverance" from his sexual orientation. This relationship evolved when McClurkin hired Corletto as a personal assistant, involving frequent travel for performances...