Gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin has denied an accusation that he sexually abused a young man he mentored more than two decades ago.
Giuseppe Corletto, has filed a lawsuit against the religious leader alleging that in 2003 when he was 21 years old he sought out McClurkin after reading his autobiography about in which McClurkin outlined how his Christian beliefs had helped him overcome his homosexuality.
Corletto has claimed that McClurkin began to mentor him and during their regular spiritual sessions to “pray the gay away” the pastor sexually assaulted him on multiple occasions.
In an interview with NBC News, he alleges he now recognises that the mentoring sessions were grooming him to be compliant for sexual assault. Corletto went on to serve as McClurkin’s personal assistant for several years, and alleges that even after he left the singer’s employment the sexual abuse continued.
An attorney for McClurkin, now 66, said the allegations are “categorically false.”
“At no time did Pastor McClurkin engage in any form of sexual abuse, assault, or sexual coercion of Mr. Corletto,” the attorney, Greg Lisi, said in a statement. “The claims set forth in the lawsuit grossly mischaracterize their interactions, which occurred over a decade, and some accusations over two decades, ago. All these allegations are contradicted by the real facts.”
Corletto has filed his lawsuit in New York and is seeking an unspecified amount of financial damages.
“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.
McClurkin has written in his autobiography that his family was thrown into turmoil when he was eight years old and his younger brother was killed by a speeding driver. He shared that in the years that followed he was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his great uncle, and later his great uncle’s son.
In 2002 he said that because of his childhood sexual trauma and exposure to pornography he had “turned gay”, but through the power of prayer had managed to reverse the process. He has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and advocates that people can change their sexuality through religious belief.
McClurkin came to prominence in the 1990s with his self-titled debut album which counted talk show host Oprah Winfrey as one of its biggest fans. Over the decades he’s released seven more albums of gospel material winning Grammy, Soul Train and BET awards.
His lawyers have said he will not be making any further comment on the allegations.
“Pastor McClurkin denies each and every allegation of wrongdoing and intends to vigorously defend against this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. As this is now active litigation, Pastor McClurkin will not be commenting further at this time,” he added.
